Mini Coupe - Can the Mini formula work on a two-seat, overtly sporting coupe?

摘要

The modern incarnation of the Mini has had a lot of 'firsts' claimed for it by its BMW parent. The first four-wheel-drive Mini, the first four-door version, the first diesel. And, now, Mini's first two-seater (if you're prepared to overlook the limited-run Mini GP special) and the first three-box body structure has arrived, too, in the shape of the Mini Coupe. To us, it's even more simple than that: the Mini Coupe is the first of the modern breed to look like a sports car. (A curiously shaped one, perhaps, but we will come to that in a moment.) As manufacturers explore ever more diverse market sectors, this one - the ultra-compact two-seat coupe market - is, you might think, a particularly small niche. And you'd be right - Mini is expecting less than five per cent of its sales to be of this variant.