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- A Mini Cooper SE that has been reduced to the essentials …
- Gallery: Mini Strip (co-) created by Paul Smith (2021)
A Mini Cooper SE that has been reduced to the essentials …
Do you remember what the first mini was has weighed? In the lightest version, the model weighed just over 600 kg. The 1,000 kg mark was reached when Mini was revived by BMW torn in 2001.
And since then, the cute lifestyle models have been getting heavier and heavier. The weightiest three-door model is currently the Mini Cooper SE – with an impressive 1,365 kg. Time for a professional gutting, right??
Curtain up on the mini strip. An electric one-off and the result of the collaboration between Mini and Paul Smith announced in November 2020. The model is intended to "focus on an innovative approach to the topic of sustainability in automobile construction".
As the name suggests, this Mini Cooper SE was completely reduced to its structural essence. Then only those elements were defined, implemented and implemented that the designer considered to be absolutely necessary.
Compared to its colorful and funky colleagues, this mini looks pretty unconventional. A colored paint job? Nothing! Only a transparent paint film protects the body from corrosion. In addition, the galvanized steel sheets show grinding marks from the factory. Paul Smith calls this "the perfect imperfection".
Gallery: Mini Strip (co-) created by Paul Smith (2021)
The typical black bands, front and rear apron inserts come from the 3D printer and are made of recycled plastic. In addition, the components are attached with visible screws. The aim here is to make it clear how easily these additions can be removed and fed into a recycling cycle.
Typical for an e-vehicle The closed radiator grille and the wheel covers also reduce the air resistance in the Mini Strip. The grill cladding and the aero panels on the wheels are made from recycled Plexiglas. The large panorama roof is also made of recycled Plexiglas and reveals a view of the largely uncovered raw structure in the interior.
The interior has also been purged. Except for the dashboard, topper pad and parcel shelf, all trim parts have been left out, so that the bluish bodyshell now visually dominates the interior. The usually somewhat cluttered mini dashboard now consists of a large, semi-transparent component in smoked glass optics with greatly simplified geometry. The infotainment system is history and is being replaced by a smartphone. The only hard keys are for the power windows and the start / stop function.
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The interior is completely leather and chrome-free. Instead, the seats are covered with knitted textile. The floor mats are made from recycled rubber. The topper pad of the instrument panel, the door panels and the hat rack are also geometrically reduced and implemented in recycled cork. A positive side effect: As open-pored materials, knitwear and cork make a positive contribution to the interior acoustics.
It is of course not yet known which of these design study measures we will find in a series mini and when. For a more sustainable use of resources in automotive design, the strip is certainly a successful and first figurehead for the manufacturer.
But actually anyone can create a sustainable concept. Now it is therefore important to bring as many of the environmentally friendly ideas as possible to series production and to make this type of vehicle attractive to customers. Could you imagine such a radically reduced mini in the future?
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