What's Wrong With This Picture: MINI's Untouched Niche Edition
Published: June 27th, 2011
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Since cementing its premium-retro-cutesy positioning in the marketplace, MINI’s been leveraging its two platforms into a niche-munching binge. Soon the MINI lineup will range from cozy Coupe to two-door “Sport Activity Vehicle,” and will include two convertibles, multiple versions of the two-door hatche, two-and-a-half-door hatch, and four door SUV. So what’s missing? A Moke? A Delivery van? What about a re-interpretation of the old Mini Pick Up? You and I may feel like the MINI brand already has plenty of niche offerings, thanks, but here is indisputable proof (found in a supermarket parking lot) that the market thinks MINI hasn’t chased enough niches. Carry on then, lads…
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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It carries the proverbial 4 by 8 [Inch] sheet of plywood, and a bag of nails from Home Depot. What's not to like?
A few weeks ago my best friend called me up and said his neighbor, an elderly German woman, just bought two Minis at auction and needed us to drive them the hundred miles back to her house. He had no details on the cars so my mind immediately jumped to dreams of Italian Job-style fun once we picked them up. Skipping the interstates and zipping down the twisty back roads. His girlfriend gave us a ride to pick up the cars and that's when we came face to face with two Mini Coopers nearly identical to the one pictured. The only real difference was the molded portion that cradled the can was still in place and there were two hatches on the rear deck lid that allowed access to the coolers the previously stored many cans of Red Bull. Both cars were ragged out heaps that are currently having piles of money spent on them to get them in decent condition. One required a tranny rebuild. Needless to say we parked our butts in the far right lane of the interstate praying that they held together long enough to get us home. My dreams of being Marky Mark for a day were dashed.