This Mini Countryman Takes Us Back To 1990's Car Audio Contests

Mini loves to see its vehicles customized. And Mini owners have created all sorts of great-looking Coopers and Countrymen over the years. The latest custom creations from Mini and Austrian design firm Vagabund, which have created a unique pair of Countryman concepts.

Each vehicle features its own monochrome livery accented with unique badging and raised Vagabund lettering. Mini then raised the ride height, set the cars on 20-inch wheels, and fitted rather sharp 3D-printed aero covers. The aesthetic is meant to pay homage to the festival lifestyle, which helps explain the speakers.

Speakers Everywhere

Each Mini receives tweeters and mid-range speakers set into the bodywork. Pop open the tailgate, and now you'll add in the thump from the subwoofers. Each vehicle, on its own, is meant to function as a unique soundstage. But you can set them up to work together to deliver an immersive audio experience.

If someone had built this back in the '90s, they would have crushed the car audio contest scene.

Just Custom One-Off Models, Sadly

As someone who appreciates a good audio system, I would find it fun to see how Mini could turn this into an option for customers. That would be hard to do, of course, as you're more likely to wind up with the vehicular equivalent of the person on the bus listening to their phone speakers instead of using headphones.

Regardless, as one-off (or two-offs, in this case) customs, the visual appeal rings through as clearly as I assume the audio does.