Mini has teamed up with leading fashion designer Sir Paul Smith to create a battery electric conversion of the original classic that showcases sustainable design elements.
The Mini Recharged by Paul Smith has been unveiled at the Salone Del Mobile event in Milan, Italy, and is a partnership between the BMW-owned car brand, Smith and Recharged Heritage Limited.
The base of the new car is one of the 1800 limited-run Mini Paul Smith Edition models that were produced in a 1998 collaboration. But the original powertrain of that car has been taken out and replaced with a 72kWh electric motor. Mini has yet to give full performance details.
The new Mini Recharged by Paul Smith is presented in there same shade of blue as the 1998 original, although the battery box has been painted lime green in order to “recall a 1990s colour palette”.
The new car also has echoes of a more recent collaboration between Mini and Smith: the Mini Strip concept that was shown at last year’s Munich motor show, which focused on sustainable design concepts.
To reflect that, Smith has deliberately left out trim parts from the interior, so the machine features a bare floor plan and recycled rubber floor mats. Several of the dashboard instruments have been removed and replaced with minimal elements: a magnet next to the steering wheel is used to hold a smartphone, which is intended to replace virtually all the buttons and dials except for the speedometer.
Meanwhile, the steering wheel in the car is designed so it can be removed to aid getting in and out.
“We have made a 1990s car totally relevant for today,” said Smith. He added that the machine also respected the original Mini design of Sir Alec Issigonis, adding: “When you move into your old aunt's flat, out of respect you don't change everything, but you do some modernising.”
Mini said that more details of the machine will be revealed following the exhibition in Milan.
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