In an all-British act the two German-owned brands MINI and Rolls Royce teamed up for a super special edition of the Mini Hardtop inspired by the Goodwood-based company’s heritage.
The car’s exterior and interior design is inspired by fine materials and the British luxury car marque’s commitment to absolutely flawless workmanship. It tries to combine Mini’s awesoem driving fun with the legendary class and craftsmanship of Rolls Royce for a superb experience. It will launch as part of the exclusive MINI Yours product line from spring 2012. MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD has a limited production run of just 1000 units.
So what kinda of features this unique MINI offers?
On the outside the base car features MINI Cooper S front and rear apron and a bonnet from the MINI Cooper D. Moreover, you get the body finish in the exclusive Rolls-Royce color Diamond Black metallic and 17-inch light alloy wheels sporting a multi-spoke design. The other option for the color is Reef Blue metallic. The chosen paint shade is also used for the exterior mirror caps and roof spoiler.
Such cars come with lots of badges! This Mini gets aluminum badges stamped with the lettering “MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD” on the side indicator surrounds above the front wheel arches and on the door sills. Another badge, also featuring the legend “One of 1000”, can be found on the centre console in front of the gearshift lever.
Inside the cabin the dashboard and door handle surfaces are manufactured in Goodwood and finished in Walnut Burr, a wood quality also exclusive to Rolls-Royce. The black nappa leather dashboard top, Tipped Leather Cornsilk door linings as well as Piano Black surface finishes for the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel and the controls below the central instrument all provide additional quality-enhancing accents.
As for the engine the car is powered by a turbocharged l.6-liter four-cylinder engine from the Cooper S featuring a Twin Scroll turbocharger, direct injection and variable valve control. It makes 181 hp and maximum torque of 240 Newton meters (177 lb-ft), which can be raised to 260 Newton meters (192 lb-ft) using the Overboost function. Performance-wise it does 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and economy-wise it does 35 mpg highway / 27 mpg city / 30 mpg combined.
The special-edition car will be built at the Oxford MINI plant, where the MINI Hardtop, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible are also produced for the global market. No word on pricing yet, but you may rest assured those extra goodies won’t come cheap.
