http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1110479_mclaren-design-boss-frank-stephenson-rumored-to-rejoin-mini (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1110479_mclaren-design-boss-frank-stephenson-rumored-to-rejoin-mini)
This rumor has hit the interwebz hard the last few days, and I for one am all for it.
But what will he inherit, and what will BMW allow him to do with it?
Encouraging to hear he might be back. He is inheriting the MINI brand after what must have been exposure to radiation. You know, like in the B movies of the 1950s where whatever get irradiated grows huge and massively out of proportion.
IMO, they need to go smaller.
I understand why BMW felt MINI needed to grow to survive, and they were right given how many Countryman they sold, and how successful the new Clubman and Countryman are - but I think they missed a good bet. They could have brought the big cars out under a different name just like they did in the past - as the Maxxi - and kept the MINI R50 sized too.
I'm thinking Frank's hands may be tied a bit by BMW's need to platform share. Unless there is a BMW 600 or 700 type car in their future, I doubt they'll allow him to make a small car again on it's own platform. But, if they'd allow him to build it on the old platform - which will still run down the same assembly lines maybe, just maybe we can get a cool new R50/R53 again.
I'm excited to see what will happen, but sad that it's going to be several years yet before we see anything, and it will be more expensive too. I would love to see Minis, MINIs and Maxxi's, and I'll bet the dealers would too.