When MINI revealed the Idea Frankfurt on the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Present, it was marking two milestones directly: the forty fifth anniversary of the 1960 Mini Traveller and the model’s personal fashionable rebirth, which had first been proven to journalists in Frankfurt again in 1997. However this wasn’t only a journey into the previous of the enduring British marque. The design examine reinterpreted the unique Traveller’s compact, versatile property form with fashionable engineering, intelligent packaging, and some surprising touches. The outcome was a automotive that seemed unmistakably like a MINI, but shared virtually no panels or proportions with the manufacturing hatchback of the time.
Acquainted Face, Totally different Proportions
From the entrance, the Idea Frankfurt had the hexagonal grille, spherical headlamps, and quick overhangs you’d anticipate. However the stance was wider, the wheelbase longer, and the physique stretched into a correct property type. The shoulder line rose gently towards the rear, giving the profile a wedge-like power. Muscular arches and a powerdome bonnet added a extra assertive really feel, whereas the headlights have been built-in immediately into the one-piece engine lid, which hinged ahead like a traditional sports activities automotive’s.
The paint was a customized Satellite tv for pc Silver, utilized in two subtly completely different layers so it shifted from vibrant metallic to muted gray relying on the sunshine. Across the wheel arches and decrease physique sat black neoprene trim—not only for distinction, however for its tactile, resilient high quality. Brushed aluminum C-pillars and grille particulars nodded to the Traveller’s heritage, and frameless glass wrapped the cabin with out interruption, because of the deletion of the B-pillars.
Doorways, Home windows, and Roof: Rethinking Entry
All 4 facet doorways used parallelogram hinges, swinging each outward and ahead in a single movement. It lowered the area wanted to open them in tight spots and made entry simpler. The entrance coupe-style doorways have been unusually lengthy—over 1.6 meters—and, with no B-pillar, created an open, uninterrupted facet aperture when each entrance and rear doorways have been open. The rear facet home windows have been a contemporary reinterpretation of the Traveller’s break up panes. The entrance part slid down electrically beneath the rear part, and when each have been open, the impact was extra like a convertible coupe than a small wagon.
On the again, the Idea Frankfurt wore a symmetrical, side-hinged double-door setup for the boot, making loading straightforward from both facet. Above, a full-length glass sunroof stretched from windscreen to tailgate—and the rear part may open upward utterly, permitting lengthy gadgets to be loaded from above.
The “Cargobox” and Intelligent Storage
Inside the bags compartment sat one of many idea’s most sensible concepts: the “Cargobox.” This sliding flooring prolonged out of the boot for straightforward loading, with a swivel perform that permit it double as a partition between passenger area and cargo. Even with the rear seats in place, the load sill was low and entry beneficiant. Fold the individually-split rear backrests flat, and the boot flooring grew to become one steady floor all the way in which to the dashboard.
Even smaller touches have been designed for usability, like frameless home windows within the rear doorways for fast entry to the cargo space, and chrome-ringed cupholders that folded down from the facet vents—preserving drinks cool or heat relying on the local weather management setting.
Floating Seats and Open House
The inside carried by way of MINI’s round design language however pushed the sense of area additional. The entrance seats appeared to “float,” mounted to the central console as an alternative of flooring rails, liberating up legroom for rear passengers and preserving the ground clear. An electrical Straightforward-Entry system moved the seats ahead and rotated them inward for rear entry, then returned them routinely. Seatbelts have been built-in into the seat frames themselves, eliminating the necessity for fastened B-pillars.
Supplies have been high-end however adventurous: white leather-based in a number of grains, brushed aluminum, chrome rings, and even glass-fibre weave within the door panels. The roof lining was completed in Alcantara, whereas the footwells acquired a metallic carbon-look end.
Efficiency with Acquainted MINI Really feel
Beneath the bonnet sat a MINI Cooper S R53 energy unit, full with an air consumption scoop and twin tailpipes. The lengthy wheelbase, huge monitor, and wheels pushed to the corners have been supposed to protect the model’s “go-kart” driving really feel, even with the bigger physique.
The MINI Idea Frankfurt wasn’t a throwaway motor present fantasy. Lots of its concepts would resurface in later manufacturing MINIs, particularly the Clubman. However at the same time as a one-off, it confirmed {that a} small automotive may nonetheless shock with considerate design, intelligent engineering, and an unapologetic nod to its personal historical past.
