NAME: Mini Rocketman Concept
DEBUT: London 2012 Olympic Games
APPEARANCE: It’s like a set from a 1980s Elton John music video. Futuristic and retro at the same time is not easy to pull off… and yet somehow the Austin Powers-esque finished product works really well. The Rocketman isn’t quite as small as the original Mini but it’s smaller than the ‘new’ one, and seats four (maybe) in a three-door, 3+1 configuration. It’s as funky as John Travolta’s hair in Saturday Night Fever.
PREDICTION: With no less than five models now sold within the Mini brand, no niche is too niche. It’s entirely likely that the spawn of the Rocketman Concept could form a Toyota iQ rival within a couple of years. For now, this concept is destined to be nothing more than a showcase of Britishness to the world when the Olympics kicks off, but it’s likely this will be built – although it probably won’t be this jazzy. Shame.
RATING: 9/10