Paul Smith Owns The Greenest Mini Cooper On The Road CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Paul Smith Owns The Greenest Mini Cooper On The Road
Paul Smith Owns The Greenest Mini Cooper On The Road
Jun. 08, 2022 6:59 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Electric Vehicles / 2 Comments And a shockingly stylish one at that. Mini calls this "upcycling of the highest order." Legendary fashion designer Paul Smith has again teamed up with Mini to produce this resto-modded Mini Cooper with a twist. Predictably, that twist is, of course, an electric powertrain. There are also some special bits from Smith himself featured throughout the car, like his signature on the "engine" cover. "Three things describe this car perfectly: quality, sustainability, and functionality," the designer explains. "This car also respects the past," Smith adds. He's rather keen on the idea of respecting Mini's heritage while also modernizing it. "When you move into your old aunt's flat, out of respect you don't change everything, but you do some modernizing," says Smith. That is, in essence, the point of this car, which is also inspired by Smith's 1998 collab with Mini. Mini Mini Mini Mini That's actually where the paint color and green battery box cover came from. Both colors were featured prominently on the limited-run 1998 production models, only 1,800 of which were made. The car itself features plenty of updates to make it more sustainable than even some of Mini's current electric models. A 72kw motor powers things, with the batteries split fore and aft for better weight distribution. Unfortunately, Mini doesn't quote power figures. Frankly, that's not the point. This car is all about styling. Smith deliberately left out as much trim as possible, as evidenced by the totally bare footwell and no-nonsense dash. In the center, the gear selector is a simple metal plate accompanied by a handbrake. However, there is a little phone mount, machined out to keep weight down, which will increase range by way of the car having to move less mass. Mini Mini Mini Mini Speaking of less mass, the door cards are made of carbon fiber, and feature machined roll-down window cranks. In keeping with the idea of sustainability, the floor mats are made of recycled rubber, or at least what little floor mat there is. The steering wheel can also be removed to make getting in and out a little easier. "Ideas are never the problem, you can find them everywhere. The challenge is to implement them. Here it worked. A dream has come true. We have made a 1990s car totally relevant for today," Smith says. Unfortunately, this is just a one-off. We'll have to wait for the new fully-electric Mini to see what a more modern interpretation of an electric Mini is. Mini Mini Mini Mini Join The Discussion
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Mini Cooper Hardtop Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top