The Elusive MINI By ALPINA Makes A Rare Appearance

ALPINA made a reputation for itself by pampering massive BMWs with large-displacement engines. However this automotive doesn’t carry the well-known roundel, nor does it have a V8 beneath the hood. Twenty years in the past, the specialists from Buchloe labored their magic on a MINI Cooper S (R53). But, identical to the ALPINA i8 that never materialized, this sizzling hatch was additionally left on the reducing room flooring.

Sadly, only a one-off, the “Lux” made a shock look throughout ALPINA’s sixtieth anniversary occasion. Held on the Penzing air base in Bavaria, the gathering introduced collectively over 650 cars and a couple of,000 individuals. Whereas BMWs from numerous many years had been undoubtedly the principle attraction, this supercharged little machine didn’t go unnoticed.

Our pals from Motor1.com Deutschland graciously allowed us to share these photographs of the one-of-a-kind MINI by ALPINA. The Cooper S acquired quite a lot of darkish blue accents, seen on the entrance and rear aprons, wheel arches, and aspect mirror caps. Additional distinguishing it from the common automotive had been clear taillights, together with the third brake mild. ALPINA’s signature wheels are unimaginable to overlook, and this elegant design was later supplied as an official accent for the R50 and R53.

Inside, ALPINA bathed the two-tone inside in Alcantara, overlaying nearly each floor with the microfiber materials. The blue-and-gray seat upholstery prolonged onto the door playing cards, whereas plastic trim items had been spruced up with soft-touch blue lacquer. Had it gone into manufacturing, the MINI badges would possible have been changed with ALPINA’s emblem.

Nevertheless, the Cooper S “Lux” by no means made it previous the prototype stage. ALPINA CEO Andreas Bovensiepen revealed in an interview a couple of years in the past that prime prices would have made the automotive too costly. It’s additionally protected to imagine that there have been issues that too few prospects would have an interest. As an alternative, ALPINA shifted its focus to the 6 Sequence (E63/E64).

For the reason that MINI undertaking was killed in its infancy, the four-cylinder, 1.6-liter engine remained untouched. It nonetheless produced the factory-rated 168 horsepower and 162 pound-feet (220 Newton-meters) of torque, despatched to the entrance wheels by a six-speed guide gearbox. On the time, MINI quoted a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) dash in 7.2 seconds and a high pace of 138 mph (222 km/h).

The Cooper S “Lux” arrived a couple of years earlier than Aston Martin tried one thing comparable with the Toyota iQ. The luxed-up Cygnet was a fancier model of town automotive, created to assist the British automaker meet EU fleet emissions laws within the early 2010s. Not like the MINI, it really went into manufacturing, however just for two years. Gross sales had been dismal: Aston Martin had hoped to maneuver 4,000 items yearly however ended up promoting fewer than 150.

Photographs: Motor1.com Deutschland