MINI Shows off New Rocketman at Milan Fashion Week [New Photos and Video]

Only a few days before its motor show debut at next week's Geneva Salon, the MINI Rocketman concept made its first public appearance at a special event on the sidelines of the Milan Fashion Week. The presentation was held at the Istituto Europeo di Design, which is a design school with a focus on automotive and product design. The BMW Group said the debut of the Rocketman Concept was stage-managed by London-based film artist, photographer and director Marcus Tomlinson, who also made a short art film for the car featuring Model and actress Lily Cole. MINI's new concept model is supposed to hark back to the classic Mini in terms of its exterior dimensions while keeping up with the times in terms of safety requirements and occupant space, and also provide a glimpse into the firm's future design language.


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VIDEO: A MINI Cooper S Powered by a Helicopter Jet Engine

Rolls-Royce and MINI may have the same owner, but the two iconic British brands have never been intended to cross paths. That was until a Texas-based firm called BMP Design decided to squeeze a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20B jet engine sourced from a helicopter in the back of a MINI Cooper S. Yes, that's right, just behind the front seats. The consequences of this action are easy to imagine: the 420-horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque RR engine drives the rear wheels, turning the MINI into a 4WD monster. Managing to drive the car is a major achievement, since the driver needs to balance the conventional controls with the separate levers that command the jet engine. As you are about to see, the speed and the acceleration of this little rocket are mind-blowing. As is the noise coming from the turbine engine. Watch the videos after the break.
By Dan Mihalascu Source: Jalopnik
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MINI Brings its iQ Emulating, mini Rocketman Concept to the Geneva Salon [37 High-Res Photos]

When it was launched, many industry commentators complained that BMW’s New Mini was neither as compact nor as affordable as its illustrious predecessor had been. In a possible effort to address this (and no doubt to compete with the likes of the competitions smaller offerings), MINI will be showing the Rocketman Concept at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show this March. MINI describes the Rocketman Concept as a “3 + 1 seater” with exterior dimensions that closely emulate the original Mini of 1959. The one-off concept is 3,419 mm (11 ft. 3 in.) long, 1,907 mm (6 ft. 3 in.) wide and 1,398 mm(4 ft. 7 in.) tall. It sits on a carbon spaceframe underbody that is left visible in some parts of the exterior and cabin. The Rocketman Concept’s exterior continues MINI’s current design language and incorporates features such as LED head- and taillights, 18-inch wheels, a split-tailgate and illuminated roof braces that imitate the Union Jack. Inside there are three permanent seats and one fold-down number for short journeys. The permanent ones are on rails to maximise interior space and the instrument cluster moves backwards and forwards with the driver. MINI’s trademark Centre Speedo makes its customary appearance, albeit this time offering high-resolution 3-D graphics, in-car internet and a detachable hard drive that can be taken anywhere. A trackball on the steering wheel replaces the iDrive-esque unit on current model MINIs. All in all it’s not a bad effort from the pseudo-British carmaker. As always, you can check out our full gallery or leave a comment below.By Tristan Hankins


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