Hi to all. Frank Stephenson here, the designer of the original New MINI (R50 and R53). I've joined the forum today and looking forward to following it. If I don't get bombarded with too many questions, I'll do my best to keep the flow going!

 

WOW!
Very cool to have you here, and welcome.

 

Were you the one that came up with the beer cans? Love my R52 and plan to keep him forever. Be sure to come up for air periodically while exploring the forum and welcome.

 

Holy cow! You're one of my favorite designers!! This is so cool!

If your studio ever needs a lackey who's dangerous with class A surfacing, CAD, and generative design let me know!

 

Hello,

I think i talked to you before, did you change your screenname?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ing-frank.html

 

Thanks. Love your User Name btw.

 

Were you the one that came up with the beer cans? Love my R52 and plan to keep him forever. Be sure to come up for air periodically while exploring the forum and welcome.


__________________
“It's not the destination, it's the journey."


Yeah but it was an act of last minute desperation. I had about 30 minutes to get something that looked like an exhaust pipe on to the clay model before the final presentation. Luckily our chief modeller was on the beer that night. It turned out alright.

 

Holy cow! You're one of my favorite designers!! This is so cool!

If your studio ever needs a lackey who's dangerous with class A surfacing, CAD, and generative design let me know!



Thanks! I'm designing jets now, the first flying taxi. They're called eVTOL aircraft, electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing. Almost ready to go into production!

 

Hello,

I think i talked to you before, did you change your screenname?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ing-frank.html

I move around so much that I can forget where I was yesterday... ; )

 

What is your feelings on the design of the current MINI generation? Many of the early adopters here in the USA seem to hate the newer cars. I find that the F56 fits me fine.

 

Welcome to the forum.

While I am sure you have heard it before, Thank you for the incredible design. The first generation is the perfect combination of small on the outside and big on the inside. It is the perfect modern interpretation of the classic design.

I think for MINIs survival, they will need to continue to make larger and larger vehicles, HOWEVER, they need to also make a model the size of the first generation to ground the brand. If there was a vehicle the size of the first generation, as people buy an over-sized "MINI" SUV, they would relate to the MINI tradition. If everything MINI sells is huge, there is nothing left to differentiate MINI from everything else on the market. At that point, MINI could become a trim level on a BMW. The "MINI X1" with contrasting roof and mirrors.

MINI needs you and I for one am happy they had you in the beginning.

 

Welcome. Very cool to have you here. When I saw new MINIs when they first hit the road, I fell in love. So different from everything else on the road at that time. It took quite a few years before I got one but only about a year before we got a second one. And when I retire, my project car will be a MINI.

 

Sensitive subject... I just regret that they've grown so much over the latest generations. The essence of the Mini/MINI is cute and dynamic in a small package. I feel they should have kept at least a couple of versions in the lineup with that ethos, otherwise they're just diluting the brand and leading it towards a MAXI destination.

 

Amen and thank you!

 

That was the intention with the new design back then, to carry over the emotion of the past and blend it with the technology of the future...love at first sight as they say! : )

 

Many thanks for checking in,
great to see you here!

From the many propositions that were competing, I'm very glad and happy that it was yours which won in the end, as in my eyes it is a near perfect evolutionary design --- indeed succeeding with carrying over the romantic emotion of the historic past blended with the techno future.

Like most MINI owners, I get the "hey, cute car!" comments quite frequently,
and yes it is cute, but I think it is also muscular.
So it is simultaneously both in my opinion!

I recently came across this video which starts off with you sketching,
at least I'm guessing it's you because of the cigar case,
is it you?



I also recently got the book MINI Design: Past Present Future and it is excellent eye candy which illustrates many of the developmental drawings,
but I was wondering:
do you happen to have any unpublished sketches you'd care to share with us?

 

Another one you'd enjoy is "MINI 50 Years" by Rob Golding. My boys gave me a copy shortly after acquiring our R52.

 

I've always thought they should have left the Cooper alone with very small upgrades along the way like the original/classic. Then they could do whatever with the Clubman, Countryman, Roadster, Coupe etc. But always have that Cooper as their signature car and maybe someday in the far future it could have been the 2nd classic.

 

Thanks for the pointer!

Literally just went and got myself a copy based on your recommend.

Looking forward to flippin' thru the pages.


It already is considered a bona fide modern classic!!!!



BANG ON THE BUTTON!
as they say...

 

Thanks! Yep, that's me sketching, just pen on paper, old school style - still the best way. Yes, lots of unpublished sketches that'll be coming out in a book soon. In the recently released film, Chasing Perfect, , you can see some of the sketches showing the imaginary transitions I came up with from the original
'59er through the decades leading up to the New MINI. A limited edition print will soon be released that I did showing how the shape and character of the MINI was influenced by the British bulldog.

 

I couldn't agree more! ; )

 

Nice, have to check out the movie.

 

Way cool! Added the movie to my watch list to check out later. Would love to know more about the book and when it's coming out.

 

Will do...expect something out of the ordinary! ; )

 

An interesting video posted up yesterday: