BMW Board Member Peter Schwarzenbauer recently revealed MINI was close to deciding whether or not to green-light the Superleggera Vision concept, so it's interestingly to note the company has a filed paperwork to patent a slightly modified version of the car.

As you can see, the revised roadster echoes the original concept but adopts a modified grille and restyled mirrors. The model also has traditional door handles and what appears to be a rear spoiler. However, the most notable highlights are the rear fin and Union Jack-inspired taillights that carryover from the concept.

There's no word on whether or not the drawings depict a production model but MINI seems to be laying the groundwork for a possible a road-going model.

Will stay true to the concept

British magazine CAR is reporting BMW-owned MINI has green-lighted the Superleggera Vision concept for production.

The report mentions it will be introduced sometime in 2018 and will stay true to last year's concept but with some modifications to make it road legal. Unlike the concept which had an electric powertrain, the production version will allegedly use the same engines as the regular MINI which means it will likely be offered in both FWD and AWD guises and could possibly get hotter S and JCW versions.

This rumor has some foundation taking into account that back in December we saw a patent filing which depicted what appeared to be a production version of the Superleggera Vision. Unlike the concept, the car had a different front grille, revised mirrors, as well as conventional door handles and a rear spoiler while the Union Jack-inspired taillights and rear fin resembled the concept.

The MINI Superleggera concept was very well received by both the automotive press and prospective punters around the world. People undoubtedly liked its more stylish than usual look and the promise that it drives as well as or better than what we’re used to from a MINI – it’s a promising combination.

Now, Car Magazine tells us the project “is go!” with an expected market debut believed to be in early 2018.

Looks-wise, we’re told to expect a very similar design to that of the concept, with some alterations that concepts undergo before they enter production. It will be underpinned by the same platform that allows for both front- and all-wheel drive variants to be created.

If you’re wondering why MINI is creating this model, well, it’s because it’s discontinuing many of its others: the Paceman, the Roadster and that back-to-front baseball cap on wheels, the Coupe, won’t be replaced by new models.

We’re enticed by the production prospects and think we’ll have some nice duels between this new MINI Roadster, the Mazda MX-5 and other sporty, open-top cars that will be released in the meantime.