Mini Rocketman Concept
Mini’s stand at the 2011 Geneva auto show is the launchpad for its slick little Rocketman, a concept car that evokes the spirit and packaging of the original Mini even more faithfully than the current Cooper. For one thing, at 11 feet, 3 inches long, the Rocketman is barely longer than its eensy forefather. Its width is closer to that of the new car than the old, but this is about as mini as a car can get while making room for four occupants.
Yes, four. Mini claims that the Rocketman’s reconfigurable cabin can be set up for two or three seats, or a 3+1 arrangement with, in Mini’s words, “an exceptionally efficient division of space” (read: everybody’s gonna hurt). That sounds like a challenge to us: second only to driving it, the most fun you could have in an original Mini—or contemporary Beetle or Fiat 500—was seeing how many friends you could stuff inside. Now we know that the Rocketman’s starting point is four.
Getting everybody in and out shouldn’t be too much of a challenge, however, thanks to double-hinged doors that move forward as they swing out. Once inside, those whose faces aren’t smashed against the windows might be able to see the central speedo, which incorporates 3D graphics. Rather than the tiny console-mounted joystick that controls the infotainment system in today’s Minis, a trackball on the steering wheel handles those functions in the Rocketman. Connectivity is facilitated by a removable control unit that can be hooked up to a home computer to program destination and contact information, as well as to manage music files. (And here we thought that cars were going to do that wirelessly. Hmm.)
Same Design Language, Lots of New Words
With its wraparound greenhouse and clamshell hood, the Rocketman is instantly recognizable as a Mini, although its design adds many new forms to the company’s vocabulary, including inverted-stirrup taillights (skateboarders might see them as grab handles), LED headlamps with bright halos, and a transparent roof through which the Union Jack–patterned roof structure is visible. The top half of the tailgate is hinged at the center of the roof and uses the diagonals of the Union Jack as cut lines, while the lower half slides out like a drawer, complete with an organizer. The 18-inch wheels are gorgeous, but positively show-car extreme in proportion to the body. As cool as it looks in the daylight, though, nighttime is showtime for the Rocketman, with lights tucked into the chrome beltline illuminating the interior, and much of the roof’s Union Jack outlined in white light strips.
Carbon fiber makes up much of the Rocketman’s structure, and it is visible in various places inside and out of the car—most notably the trailing edges of the front fenders. Mini isn’t saying what powers the Rocketman, but it claims that, thanks to the car’s low weight, average fuel consumption on the European combined cycle will be the equivalent of 78 mpg. All we know is that the single center-mount tailpipe is tiny, roughly the same caliber as a pea shooter.
If you’ve made it this far without humming Elton John’s “Rocketman,” you are stronger than we are. But since it’s already in our heads, we’ll indulge ourselves and paraphrase the song when we say we think it’s gonna be a long, long time/til touchdown brings [us] ‘round again to find… any car with all the Rocketman’s niftiness making it to production. In other words, don’t hold your breath for a lot of this stuff.
It is, however, worth noting that Mini has a strong history of putting its concepts on the road in some form, and Mini USA’s vice president, Jim McDowell, recently stated that an eighth Mini will be added to the lineup. (The currently known seven: hatch, convertible, and Clubman; Countryman and upcoming Paceman; and the imminent Roadster and Coupe.) If this is not that eighth model, it should be. There is much about the Rocketman that looks ready for takeoff.
Mini’s stand at the 2011 Geneva auto show is the launchpad for its slick little Rocketman, a concept car that evokes the spirit and packaging of the original Mini even more faithfully than the current Cooper. For one thing, at 11 feet, 3 inches long, the Rocketman is barely longer than its eensy forefather. Its width is closer to that of the new car than the old, but this is about as mini as a car can get while making room for four occupants.
Yes, four. Mini claims that the Rocketman’s reconfigurable cabin can be set up for two or three seats, or a 3+1 arrangement with, in Mini’s words, “an exceptionally efficient division of space” (read: everybody’s gonna hurt). That sounds like a challenge to us: second only to driving it, the most fun you could have in an original Mini—or contemporary Beetle or Fiat 500—was seeing how many friends you could stuff inside. Now we know that the Rocketman’s starting point is four.
Getting everybody in and out shouldn’t be too much of a challenge, however, thanks to double-hinged doors that move forward as they swing out. Once inside, those whose faces aren’t smashed against the windows might be able to see the central speedo, which incorporates 3D graphics. Rather than the tiny console-mounted joystick that controls the infotainment system in today’s Minis, a trackball on the steering wheel handles those functions in the Rocketman. Connectivity is facilitated by a removable control unit that can be hooked up to a home computer to program destination and contact information, as well as to manage music files. (And here we thought that cars were going to do that wirelessly. Hmm.)
Same Design Language, Lots of New Words
With its wraparound greenhouse and clamshell hood, the Rocketman is instantly recognizable as a Mini, although its design adds many new forms to the company’s vocabulary, including inverted-stirrup taillights (skateboarders might see them as grab handles), LED headlamps with bright halos, and a transparent roof through which the Union Jack–patterned roof structure is visible. The top half of the tailgate is hinged at the center of the roof and uses the diagonals of the Union Jack as cut lines, while the lower half slides out like a drawer, complete with an organizer. The 18-inch wheels are gorgeous, but positively show-car extreme in proportion to the body. As cool as it looks in the daylight, though, nighttime is showtime for the Rocketman, with lights tucked into the chrome beltline illuminating the interior, and much of the roof’s Union Jack outlined in white light strips.
Carbon fiber makes up much of the Rocketman’s structure, and it is visible in various places inside and out of the car—most notably the trailing edges of the front fenders. Mini isn’t saying what powers the Rocketman, but it claims that, thanks to the car’s low weight, average fuel consumption on the European combined cycle will be the equivalent of 78 mpg. All we know is that the single center-mount tailpipe is tiny, roughly the same caliber as a pea shooter.
If you’ve made it this far without humming Elton John’s “Rocketman,” you are stronger than we are. But since it’s already in our heads, we’ll indulge ourselves and paraphrase the song when we say we think it’s gonna be a long, long time/til touchdown brings [us] ‘round again to find… any car with all the Rocketman’s niftiness making it to production. In other words, don’t hold your breath for a lot of this stuff.
It is, however, worth noting that Mini has a strong history of putting its concepts on the road in some form, and Mini USA’s vice president, Jim McDowell, recently stated that an eighth Mini will be added to the lineup. (The currently known seven: hatch, convertible, and Clubman; Countryman and upcoming Paceman; and the imminent Roadster and Coupe.) If this is not that eighth model, it should be. There is much about the Rocketman that looks ready for takeoff.
