MINI Crossover Concept

Rather like Hollywood’s ongoing fascination with seemingly endless sequels to popular movies, BMW continue to roll out sequels to their born-again Mini. We’ve already had Coopers, Works, Convertible and Clubman variants — and the latest is this Crossover Concept.
The MINI Crossover Concept moves further away from the original Mini concept by offering four-wheel drive. It is also four metres long and includes four single seats.
Complementing the individual front and rear seats, the Crossover Concept also includes a multifunction fastening rail which offers some rather unconventional storage options and links between the front row of seats to the rear.

As a hi-tech variation of the original Mini’s central gauge, the Crossover Concept includes a fancy MINI Centre Globe, a combined control and display unit with a 3D-like finish. This unit controls the car’s ICE, navigation and vehicle functions.
The MINI Centre Globe can also be seperated into two hemispheres — presenting different views for the driver and front passenger which are recognisable only from their individual perspective. In other words, the front passenger can surf the internet while the driver maintains a view of all displays and instruments.

Unconventional
The Crossover Concept features four doors, although these are not arranged conventionally, except on the front passenger’s side — on the driver’s side is a conventional door plus a lift/sliding door for rear access. The B-pillar can even be dropped to aid access.
At the rear, the door swivels to one side, together with its frameless and retractable rear window. This gives better access when loading bulky objects.

Rear space can also be increased by folding down the rear seats. Just for good measure, a transport case is fitted outside on the rear door and a roof rail system is also available.
And, while we’re at the top of the car, a further option also includes full-length folding roof which can be opened from either the front or rear .
Just to be truly weird, the Crossover Concept is started via a Keyball. To start the car, you insert the Keyball into the appropriate opening in the upper edge of the Centre Globe. The Keyball then rolls towards the driver along the middle of the Globe. In this position the driver is able to press the Keyball in order to start the engine. Pressing the Keyball again, in turn, switches off the engine and the Keyball rolls down into its housing bay from where it can be removed. So, if nothing else, we can safely assume that the MINI Crossover Concept has balls — or at least one of them!
Inside, occupants are cosseted by leather, armchair-like seats, wood trim and matt-polished aluminium fixtures. It all sounds a little over the top for a car which, in it’s original Issigonis form, was intended to provide cheap motoring for the masses — which explains why Austin recalled the success of their pre-war mass market Austin 7 when they badged the first Minis as the Austin Se7en,
However, times have changed and, if we believe the motor manufacturer’s spin doctors, we now want our cars packed out with fancy devices, clever knick-knacks and gimmicky features. Just imagine restoring one of the Crossover Concepts in another 25 years time! Ponsnobby Road poseurs will, no doubt, flock to the Crossover Concept if it ever becomes a production reality — but I suspect that classic car enthusiasts would still prefer the original rather than the overblown sequel and opt for an original Mini Cooper S.

Mini: A Celebration of Britain’s Best Loved Small Car by Graham Robson

Like the title says, this is a celebration of the Mini — and not the definitive Mini book. In fairness to the publisher it is a relatively inexpensive book, with some great illustrations and photography. If you are into Minis it doesn’t tell you a lot you won’t already know, and as such that just makes it another Robson pot-boiler. If you are interested in Minis and their history, but don’t know much already, this book would be a fabulous start. It looks good and it’s well designed, but unfortunately it looks so good — and given an author with the resources of Graham — you’re just left thinking about what it hasn’t got, rather than what it has. Robson clearly doesn’t like Issigonis, but doesn’t do a pen portrait on any of the Mini’s progenitors so you never find out why. Pen portraits on Len Lord, Issigonis, Alex Moulton, John Cooper and the many other personalities involved in the car, or who made their name with the Mini, would have served to illustrate the story better than a load of dry facts.

Apart from an interesting bit on the Innocenti, there is nothing substantial about the car’s produc­tion in other parts of the world.