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The Mini Recharged project combines the iconic original Mini with modern EV powertrains.
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The Mini Electric has been transformed into a high-performance EV safety car for zero-emissions FIA racing series Formula E
The Mini Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW is a brand new pure electric Safety Car built to lead the zero-emissions FIA Formula E World Championship race series.
What's more, admits the firm, it also gives us an early look into what a pure EV Mini JCW road-going performance car could be like.
Sharing duties with the existing Formula E Safety Car, the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, it is the first time such a high-profile EV has served official FIA duties.
The firm admits it’s so extreme, it’s not developed for use on public roads. “But it does reveal one of the directions we could take with the electrification of the JCW brand,” said head of Mini Bernd Korber.
“For me, the message is clear: electrification and John Cooper Works are a good fit.”
Mini has given the Electric Pacesetter a series of weight-saving measures, cutting the kerb weight by 130kg down to 1,230kg.
The drive system is based on that from the production Mini Electric, but here, it produces almost 185hp – good for 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds.
Full race-spec coilover suspension is fitted, along with Mini JCW Works GP brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
But it’s the extreme style that’s the real standout, fully developed in association with BMW Motorsport.
The objective was to combine aero efficiency with all the wide-arch, squat-stance attitude of the regular Mini JCW… and then dial it all up to 11.
The interior has been stripped out, with only the front seats remaining. Extensive carbon figure is used within, and there’s a welded-in roll cage.
And who will be driving it? Ex-racer Bruno Correria, who said that, with the car’s agility, performance and cool appearance, it “has got it all.
“Very fun to drive, it feels like karting.”
Look out for it at a Formula E race soon… and hopefully, in the future, a production version at a showroom near you...
