It's a Mini stripped back to the bare essentials, the keynote on the brand's stand at Munich, writes Brian Byrne. Detail design — or undesign — is by British fashion designer Paul Smith, and the Mini Strip name says it all.
The body is unpainted except for a thin clear glaze to protect the metal. The recycled perspex roof shows the structure of the car painted blue. Recycled plastic covers where the trademark grille would be. Wheel arch covers are pinned to the metal with open screws.
Inside, the plastic and wood and metal trims have been ditched in favour of a fully-recyclable knitted fabric covering. And there are no instruments, just a dock for a mobile phone which then does all that work. The one-off is based on the Mini Electric, and maybe it all increases the range.
A minimalist treatment for what, in the end, has turned out to be a minimalist motor show.
