Image: BMW Group
Last April we told you about the upcoming “Mini Inspired by Goodwood,” the illegitimate love child of a one-night-stand between a Rolls Royce and a Mini Cooper. It’s got almost everything you’d expect to find inside a Rolls-Royce, but in scaled-down proportions. Wool mats? Check. Leather-topped Walnut Burr dash? Check. Cornsilk leather interior? Yeah, it’s got that, too. It doesn’t make the seamless power of a Rolls Royce, but it does come with the 181 horsepower turbocharged engine from the Mini Cooper S.
Image: BMW Group
We told you that only 1,000 copies would be built, and now Mini has announced pricing. Each will sell for £41,000, or the equivalent of about $66,000. That’s a lot of scratch to pay for a Mini, regardless of how well appointed it is, and their press release justified it by saying, “The MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD is characterised by top-grade materials, the highest level of workmanship and stylish supremacy. Its exclusive character is the result of an exceptional collaboration. The special edition of the three-door MINI was built under the guidance of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars designer team and transfers the unmistakable style of the British luxury car manufacturer to the equally unique original within the premium small car segment.”
There’s no word on which markets will get cars just yet, but my guess is that the bulk of production will stay in Europe or get exported to the Middle East. Deliveries are set to begin in March of 2012. so if you can’t live without one in you garage, now is the time to hit up your local Mini dealership.
Source: Autoevolution
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
