A lot of electric cars go to great lengths to cast off traditional design ideas and announce themselves as something totally new and futuristic – take the BMW i3 for example. Mini plans to do things differently. Recognizing customers' fondness for the classic shape, the company is presenting a restored classic Mini Cooper kitted out with a completely electric drivetrain that looks just like it used to on the outside, but packs an electric punch underneath. It's called the classic Mini Electric.
![Classic Mini Electric concept: hitting the streets of New York](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/e30cffa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1620x1080+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2Fclassic-mini-electric-9.jpg)
There's no details in terms of range, power, battery location … In fact the whole thing looks exactly like a nicely restored Cooper were it not for a few strategically placed plug logos around the body and a charge point where the petrol cap would normally go.
![Classic Mini Electric concept: a face many mothers could love](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/e0f2e55/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1618x1080+0+0/resize/1438x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2Fclassic-mini-electric-8.jpg)
Mini also says the electric version honors the go-kart style nailing and zippy driving experience of the original, although that's pretty academic, as nobody will ever get to drive it.
Still, it's a good reminder that the design of electrics is far less bounded by engine and drivetrain technology than the average combustion car – whether that means they're built to look like spaceships, or to emulate resonant designs of past eras. Anything's possible!
Source: Mini