Wow, kind of surreal being able to talk with the person who designed my car.

Was there ever a point when designing the R50/53 that you had doubts about the project? Any interesting challenges/obstacles you faced along the way? Did you ever think prior to its release that it would be as successful as it was and become as iconic as it is today?

 

I absolutely, totally second that!!!
The 1st gen IMHO is still the purest and most fun and most balanced of the MINIs

 

Ok you're honest sir...welcome to NAM!...

 

Thanks guys, designing the New MINI was a great honor as well as happening to be in the right place at the right time.

No, I never had any doubts on the design or project direction. It felt like a winner right from the very first ideation sketch, all of us did. But making it happen was a whole other story. Too many "can't do this, can't do that" mentalities...resistance to ideas that would set the car apart from the rest of the competition. I had Dr Reitzle's (Head of Product Development) support the whole way through and if I could convince him, then I was able to power it through. My biggest surprise was how well the sales of it took off in the US.

 

+1
Welcome and thanks again!!
I owe you a nice warm lager, or a cold one, your choice!!

 

Thank you for your work sir, which has given me a great deal of joy in the last decade.

Kind regards,

Charlie

Gollum
Gollum II
Gollum III

 

All, I would really hate to loose this thread with an individual who has been so influential with a vehicle we all care so much about.

Frank,

I'm a new 2014 owner and was a little disappointed to see you say the newest MINI is not your favorite. Where would you have taken the design if you were still involved with the MINI?

Thanks!

 

Hi pepper and the gang. No problem, this thread won't diasppear, I'm always checking in and will try to respond whenever anybody has a question.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the 2014 range, I only meant that, in my eyes, it doesn't take MINI any further along the path that I would expect a 3rd generation product to go.

Most critically, it's much bigger in both length and width. That's great for comfort and passenger space but for me it goes against the grain of the orginal concept...big on the inside, small on the outside. That's what gave the original and the 1st new generation their principle character. They say it's evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Well, that's the truth but where is the innovation? Seems they've taken a back seat on spending money moving the design technology forward. On my version I had to lock horns everyday to push the "impossible" single piece clamshell hood through that gave better engine bay access while intergrating the headlamps in it to eliminate the huge overslam gap (that would've been needed) between the chrome headlamp bezel and hood. Flushness was "impossible" to achieve but we managed it and the result was a look of superior quality and attention to detail. The single piece wrap-around rear quarter glass was also "impossible" to press as was the position of the "away from the tailgate gap" taillamps. There were plenty of other "impossible" design details that pushed the limits of engineering back then.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I miss seeing MINI keeping up with the times in terms of raising the design innovation bar. I love the spirited up-graded engines and improved material quality but I also wish they would've "futurized" the 2nd and 3rd generations in a more progressive way...more first impression "wow-ness" and more "how the heck did they manage to do that???" design features. In other words, push the aesthetics into a feasible concept car direction. I can't imagine Porsche 911 designers now having the chance to go crazy with a super exciting NEW form advancement, maybe that's a good thing for such an iconic car, but it sure hampers out of the box creative thinking and creative solutions. The original MINI was a revolutionary ground-breaking design. That idea should remain at the heart of the MINI design philosophy in my opinion.

 

Excellent points!

With the current generation, some of the most interesting aspects of the MINI Vision Concept and MINI Clubman Concept will (unfortunately) never see the light of day.

Regarding the R50/53 clamshell hood, one of the Oxford factory managers told me that it was very challenging for them to build it due to the complex shape. However the results speak for themselves, and contribute to that iconic design which we all appreciate.

 

Have a question. What was the R51?

 

It never saw the light of day...it was a longer wheelbase concept.

 

Here is an old one for you Frank. Takes you back. R51 would have been great.