A real driver's car.

While the standard mini hatch is already one of the sharpest models on the road, the Coupe will be aimed purely at those who like a 'more motivated' drive when it goes on sale in Britain in October.

The Coupe borrows the regular Mini's suspension but benefits from a lower center of gravity that will help limit body roll and increase agility. At the rear, a spoiler rises at speeds above 80km/h to increase down-force - a first for the brand.

Optional sports suspension is available with stiffer anti-roll bars and firmer dampers, while a rock-hard John Cooper Works set-up pack is also an option, This drops the ride height by 10mm and firms up the anti-roll bars and dampers even further.

Unlike the rest of the Mini range - which starts with the entry-level One - the base Coupe model is the Cooper, powered by a 90kW 1.6-liter engine. The flagship is the JCW, which adds a turbo for a total of 155kW. In between is the 135kW Cooper S, with a detuned version of the JCW's unit, while a hot new diesel SD gets a 105kW 2-liter oil-burner.

The Coupe Cooper will cover zero to 100km/h in a claimed nine seconds flat, and the JCW completes the benchmark sprint in 6.4 seconds - both a tenth up on their hatchback counterparts. With a 'helmet' roof grafted on top of the Mini Convertible's body, the two-seater Coupe looks unlike anything else on the road.

Its 'three-box' shape means there is room for a 280-liter load bay - 120 liters up on the normal Mini - plus there are extra storage bins behind the seats and a hatch for posting longer objects through. The roof line is 29mm lower than the standard car's, scallops in the headlining ensure tall occupants will fit in comfortably.