BMW has confirmed that its MINI brand is going to offer factory-backed electric conversions for classic Minis. The original Mini, created by legendary car designer and engineer Alec Issigonis, was - as BMW reminds us - created in response to the fuel supply shortage triggered by the Suez Canal crisis. Given our current spikes in fuel costs, and the climate crisis, it seems an opportune moment to bring that fuel-saving heritage full circle.
Mini recharged
The MINI Recharged project has been born out of the one-off electric original Mini made for the New York motor show way back in 2018. The public response to that car was such that MINI became convinced that there would be a sufficient market for customer versions.
"What the project team are developing preserves the character of the classic Mini and enables its fans to enjoy all-electric performance. With MINI Recharged, we are connecting the past with the future of the brand," says Bernd Körber, Head of the MINI Brand.
Original engine preserved
It's not just a matter of ripping out the old A-Series engine and stuffing in an electric motor and some batteries, though. Underpinning the concept is a reverence for Mini's history, and so while the original engine will of course be removed, it will also be preserved and kept so that the process can be reversed and the car returned to its original state if ever desired.
It's also, in many ways, the ultimate in up-cycling, taking a car whose design and engineering dates back to 1959 and making it not only fresh but more environmentally friendly than ever.
The motor that MINI installs into these classics will have a hefty 122hp (or 90kW and when we say hefty, we mean in relation to the original petrol engine which had a mere 63hp. It's enough grunt to shove the MINI to 100km/h in around nine seconds, which is around three seconds faster than a 1990s Mini Cooper 1.3i.
The battery, for which MINI doesn't yet quote a capacity, can be charged only at slow speeds - up to 6.6kW - but should have enough charge when full to put 160km under those dinky wheels, about the same as a Mk1 Nissan Leaf. The cars will be fitted with a classic sixties-style central instrument panel, whose display will be turned over to drive temperature, the selected gear, range and speed.
Congestion charge
Clearly, MINI is looking at upmarket buyers in cities with congestion charges or combustion engine bans in the offing, such as London. Indeed, the company name-checks such swinging sixties London locations as Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus, where an up-cycled electric MINI can be driven without incurring congestion charges (although as a classic car with classic tax status, you could have gotten away without paying it with the original engine still fitted - still, it's the thought that counts, eh?).
Each MINI Recharged model will be individually numbered and can be given a bespoke specification if you like, and MINI has more plans to create special one-offs of its up-cycled electric cars. "Individuality also plays an important role with MINI Recharged," says Sebastian Beuchel, Head of MINI Global Brand Management. "Unique classic Mini models have always been created, including true works of art on wheels. That's why future collaborations are also planned as part of the MINI Recharged programme, allowing well-known artists to express their creativity with specially designed classic Mini models."