MINI paceman

‘MINI paceman’image courtesy of BMW group 

designboom was recently invited to mallorca to experience the all new 2014 MINI paceman and john cooper works GP, witnessing at first hand how the new compact sports cars could perform. in this three part series, we cover an overview of the company’s seventh production vehicle and the limited edition MINI john cooper works with an interview with anders warming, the head of MINI design.

powered by a turbocharged 1.6 liter engine modeled after BMW group’s valvetronic technology, the ‘paceman’ produces 184 horsepower and generates 177 lb-ft of torque, reaching 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 217 km/h (135 mph). based off the design of the MINI countryman, the vehicle provides MINI’s hallmark ‘go-karting’ agility with a redesigned chassis consisting of a macpherson spring strut front axle and forged cross members in tandem with a multi-link rear axle. the new model comes standard with lowered sports suspension and DSC (dynamic stability control), making handling responsive without sacrificing comfort.

MINI paceman front end viewimage © designboom 

for the first time in MINI’s history, the ‘paceman’ incorporates horizontal taillights, where the concentric segmentation of the illumination source still maintains the brand tradition. the same can be said of the rear, with an increased width, users are drawn to the car’s wide cambered stance. the dynamic sweeping body panels and curved surfaces express the car’s appearance with its coupé-style roof, tapering downwards towards the rear, as the roofline flows into the standard rear spoiler. long doors connect the front and rear wheel arches and gives the body a lower-slung appearance, sending a portion of its engine power through the rear wheels.

rear viewimage © designboom 

passenger side viewimage © designboom 

passenger front 3/4 viewimage © designboom 

overview of the MINI paceman test vehiclesimage © designboom

drivers rear 3/4 viewimage © designboom 

top viewimage courtesy of BMW group 

side view with rear detailimage courtesy of BMW group 

front end detailimage courtesy of BMW group 

detail of new horizontal tail lightsimage courtesy of BMW group 

badge detailimage courtesy of BMW group 

taking influences from the exterior styling, the interior cockpit is given an extensive makeover; designed squarely as a four-seater and equipped with a full leather package that embodies the high performance features such as its center-dash media console, featuring intuitive navigation and controls, ergonomically located by the hand-brake.

MINI trunk badge / open latchimage © designboom 

interior cockpitimage courtesy of BMW group 

interior view from passenger seatimage courtest BMW group 

MINI pacemanvideo courtesy of MINI 

for the love of design! signed by anders warming, head of MINI designimage © designboom