Some of the design and innovation for Mini's coming out of Japan is pretty incredible. I am sure if it weren't so expensive to land these kits here we may actually see some driving around. I just found Duell's newest release for the Clubman and I don't remember seeing a body kit that I liked so much or that better suit the lines of the car since Top-Car's Mini Bully [which is an insane 7500 euro for the parts alone]. Vented A-panels with LED turn signals, Porsche style quad pipes...whoa, very mean. Kudos to them for having the chootzpah for developing and producing these when everyone else is crying that body kits are no more. Schnitzer has released nothing exclusive to the clubman...and Im not sure as an exclusive BMW tuner what else they have to do other then celebrate the opportunity to pounce on a new 'affordable' model. Has anyone seen any aftermarket designs for the Countryman yet?

 

Le très badass

 

That's really hot, I like.

 

I adore the look of the A-panel! Not loving the front though.... too much to look at!

 

I agree Airborne---That's the sweetest Clubman I've ever scene. Gorgeous body integration. Leave it to the Japanese to improve on an existing design.

 

Duell has always taken it to the next level with MINI. Sure as hell beats Orciari although they haven't messed with the 2nd Gen MINI's thank god.

 

The only thing I really liked about Orciari was the cowl scoops so I had mine made in carbon fiber. At least Orciari made them in ABS, most kits are expensive fiberglass which is akin to buying an ugly hooker. Looks like sex but not for long. Speaking of sex, OxyBlueCoop, getting to own a collection like yours is why I wake up to work in the morning.

 

Holy crap.

That's amazing.

 

I agree with Carlisle. The front is tooo busy.
But overall it looks really cool.

 

Those cowl scoops rock.

 

I like the driving light inserts on the front bar, but the middle is too much. The back looks tidy, much better than the M3 takeoff of the coupe. The A panels are not too bad, a bit too japanese, but Duell are so there you go.

 

The front is very Porsche GT3 inspired, but IMO it is the splitter, scoop and grill trim that makes too much of a contrast. If it were mine, I would even drop the racing stripes, but it is always nice to dream.

I found this one from Uberhaus to be the nicest affordable kit out there. it has a pretty nice and subtle JCW-esque look. At least the Spanish have a pulse [edited as per Rally's comment].

 

And by Germans you mean the Spanish? Cause ICC tuning is located in Spain...

 

I'm still waiting for a kit that widens and toughens the stance, without adding all those doo-dads. It seems that aftermarket body kit designers always need to Testarossify their ideas with strakes, slats and slits. The best one that I ever saw was the still-born design that Misfitoy had made drawings of. Somebody please make a simple, tough design.

 

Im pretty sure that Uberhaus is not Spanish and I know that the distributor, LLTek informed me the parts are from germany. Im just going with what Im being told, but hey, B&B represents Caractere's body kits as their own, who knows, maybe they both represent it as theirs and Uberhaus is B&B in this case. Maybe Uberhaus is a private label name LLTek uses to sell a chinese knock off kits in the market here. I am not really sure why they would mislead me but I am sure I dont care. My customer didnt want it so neither did I.

Good find on ICC I'd never heard of them, and thanks for the condescending tone. I'll put on my dunce cap, sit on a shiva chair and face the wall now.

 

+1

 

I loved the Airborne Mini concept my business partner designed, but hey, I am admittedly as biased as they come. I think I posted it elsewhere, but the Bully Mini from Top Car incorporates fender flares and is very simple and tough.

Bully Mini >> http://top-car.ru/en/gallery/show/71/84

 

Didn't mean it to be condescending. Sorry if it came off that way.

At this point it's impossible to tell who is making bodykits it seems. Companies like VIS stealing and renaming kits left and right makes it hard to keep track of who the real designers/manufacturers are. Maybe ICC is the one copying the design....I could easily be wrong. It just seems that their name appears the most when I see the kit advertised.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. With the simple clip-on nature of our plastic arches, I'm still amazed that someone hasn't just offered snap-on wide arch replacements out of textured plastic after all these years. Simple installation, no painting required, relatively cheap once the die is made, etc. Unfortunately there's almost zero emphasis placed on aesthetic mods such as bodykits from the US vendors when compared to the european and asian markets. It's a shame

If you can get over the rivet look, MDH makes a very nice and subtle arch widening option for the R56 and R53 which incorporates a front lip that is only slightly more aggressive than the stock aero kit.

 

Aw, come on! Now that's just wrong. Where is the R53 kit?
BTW - I have those exact LED Fog Lights in my garage. Can't figure out where to put them without copying Duell of Japan.

 

I could handle that, as well as this:



(with my best Jim-Carrey-Dumb-and-Dumber-Cockney-accent) I like it a lot.

Being one of the above mentioned American vendors, I'd have to say that a body kit project would require enough initial capital that it scares me. To do it right, with the right materials and techniques, would require tens of thousands of dollars--maybe the better part of six figures. If that product flopped, we'd be in deep doo doo. We're better off investing in products that we know we can make well, and sell.

 

Oh, it's totally understandable WHY it is the way it is.. it just sucks that it has to be that way. I'm still curious how Duell churns out bodykits and parts as often as they do. Their R&D expenditures must be insane.