► MINI has gone right off the rails
► Wild new concepts pay homage to its racing history
► Crazy graphics, wide body kits and thoughtful details
MINI has teamed up with the American clothing brand Deus Ex Machina to produce two rather dystopian-looking Cooper concepts. They’re wider, lower and angrier versions of the brand’s petrol and electric JCW models, designed to celebrate MINI’s racing heritage.
The electric one is called ‘The Skeg’ (pictured below). Now, I didn’t know what that meant when I first opened the press release but, after a quick detour down a maritime rabbit warren, I found out it’s the name for the little stability fin on the underside of a boat.
Knowing that, it made far more sense to learn that MINI drew design inspiration for the concept from the world of surfing. It runs right through the car, too. There’s a mounting sling on the underside of the roof for a surfboard, wetsuit trays where the rear seats used to be and an almost reckless discontent for creature comforts.
MINI has also gone daft with unfinished fibreglass, which is one of the main materials surfboards are made from. The Skeg’s front and rear bumpers, massively flared wheel arches, rear wing, door cards and dashboard are all made from the stuff – and MINI says the changes have shaved 15% off the standard JCW Electric’s kerb weight.
Selfishly speaking, I’m much more interested in the petrol one. It’s called the Machina (pictured below) – and it looks brilliant. I don’t know whether MINI did this on purpose or whether it’s a happy accident but, to my eye, the racing spotlights, retro mirrors and red/white/black paintjob make it look like a Cyberpunk homage to Paddy Hopkirk’s 1960s rally car.
The Machina’s cabin is much more up my street, too. At first glance it looks like a racer, with its bucket seats, deep dish steering wheel and aluminium foot plates – but look closer and you’ll see it’s a bit more sophisticated than that. It’s been quite thoughtfully stripped out.
It looks like MINI has retained just enough trims from the standard MINI JCW. You still get a central armrest, door speakers, sun visors, a cupholder, somewhere to put your phone and a dash of oddment storage in the form of luggage nets where the rear seats and glovebox would be in the normal car.
But, just to make sure common sensibility didn’t win out over juvenile delinquency, MINI also fitted the car with a hydraulic handbrake. That means it should be able to skid about ten times better than any Corsa-wielding youth in your local fast-food car park.
But what really strikes me about these concepts are their details. Have a browse through the gallery at the top of this page and you’ll see what I’m on about. Look behind all the panels MINI has modified for the project. Rather than leaving them in bare primer, the brand has painted them to match the body. The Machina even has ‘Deus’ stencilled into the crash bar behind its grille.
The Skeg’s new roof skin is also translucent so, when it’s sunny, the pattern from the fibres in the panel are projected onto the cabin. Plus, MINI has even weathered the tyre lettering on the Machina to make it look like it’s just finished tackling some hard laps of Silverstone. There’s some wonderful craftsmanship tied up in these cars.
Now all we need is for MINI to start flogging them to the public. Chance would be a fine thing, wouldn’t it?
Luke is the Deputy Editor of our sister site Parkers, but he spends plenty of time writing news, reviews and features for CAR. He's been a motoring journalist since 2018, learning his craft on the Auto Express news desk before joining the Parkers/CAR team in 2022. When he isn't yoked to his laptop, he's tearing his hair out over his classic Mini restoration project or pinballing around the country attending heavy metal gigs.
By Luke Wilkinson
Deputy Editor of Parkers. Unhealthy obsession with classic Minis and old Alfas. Impenetrable Cumbrian accent
