On Wednesday, August 26, 1959, a new type of small car was unveiled in Austin and Morris dealerships across Britain.

Many buyers didn't know quite what to make of the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin 7even (yep, that's what they called it--for a very short while). It had seats for four, it was just 10 feet long bumper to bumper, and the engine sat sideways, driving the front wheels.

Mini Coupe vs Audi TT, by Michael Banovsky

Mini Coupe vs Audi TT, by Michael Banovsky

The first Morris Mini-Minor, August 26, 1959

The first Morris Mini-Minor, August 26, 1959

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

2009 Mini Coupe Concept leak

A coupe at age 50

Fifty years to the day later, much of the world knows the iconic Mini brand, now owned by Germany's BMW and most often sold in its high-performance rollerskate persona, the 2010 Mini Cooper.

To celebrate Mini's golden jubilee, BMW has commissioned a Mini Coupe concept. The company calls it a “vision” of how the Mini model lineup may grow; it will be officially shown to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show in two weeks.

Mini currently offers its two-sedan hatchback, the soft-top convertible, and the unusual Clubman station wagon, which offers a longer wheelbase, one door on the left, two doors on the right, and vertical "church-door" rear doors.

The two-seat Mini Coupe is expected to compete with the 2009 Audi TT, which also offers a soft-top model but has no four-seat hatchback.

More TT-like than you might think

While the blocky Mini and the low-to-the-ground TT are rarely thought of as competitors, the photo montage by Michael Banovsky (@michaelbanovsky on Twitter) points out that the new model is a lot closer than you might have imagined.

To target the TT, the Mini Coupe concept picks the most performance oriented pieces out of the Mini parts bin, along with a lower, lighter design to keep everything even more firmly glued to the road than the standard item.

The first thing to go, of course, is that rear seat. Which, let's face it, rarely gets used in Mini Coopers anyway.

Take hatchback, then subtract

The Mini Coupe concept is based on the regular Mini Cooper hatchback, but the roof is made of aluminum to lower the center of gravity. Other unique styling touches include a body-colored grille with matching inserts on both the wheels and the rear diffuser.

The concept sports most of the mechanicals of the high-performance John Cooper Works model, including a turbocharged 211-horsepower 1.6-liter gasoline engine and stiffened suspension.

Inside, sports seats with contoured side supports are fittted, along with a  three-spoke leather sports steering wheel. Two clocks, one each side of the central tachometer, act as a stopwatch and a standard clock.

[TheCarConnection via Mini press release; photo montage by Michael Banovsky]