On display at the MINI booth at this year’s Concours d’Elegance is the 2012 MINI Cooper Coupe, MINI’s new 2-seater that looks to inject even more driving fun into the MINI line-up. The Coupe becomes the fastest MINI available and purports to offer even more agile handling than the already nimble Cooper.
According to MINI, “The MINI Coupe represents the faithful transposition of the brand’s sporting DNA into a cutting-edge vehicle with a new interpretation of the super-compact sports car class; unrivaled handling agility and the best performance figures of any model in the MINI line-up.”
The Coupe also brings unique styling to the MINI line, with a stepped rear end instead of the usual box shape, but retains the trademark MINI versatility by offering a high-opening tailgate and large luggage area.
The Coupe will be available in the same 3 variations as the hatchback: Cooper Coupe, Cooper S Coupe and the John Cooper Works Coupe. Engine options will also be the same, with the 121 hp naturally aspirated 1.6L engine in the Cooper Coupe, a 181 hp turbocharged version of the same engine in the Cooper S, and a potent 208 hp version in the John Cooper Works Coupe.
The Coupe will be available beginning October 1, 2011.
I’m a huge Mini Cooper fan. Thanks for these photos. It’s kind of hard to visualize the flow of this design. It just doesn’t look right in photos. I’m sure it looks better in person but it will be one of those designs that you spend half the time deciding if it’s ugly or not.