A surf-inspired Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Electric concept with a strong Aussie link dubbed The Skeg has been revealed ahead of its global debut at the Munich motor show on Monday September 8.
The three-door hatch, which remains mechanically standard, has been refashioned by Mini-parent BMW’s subsidiary Designworks in co-operation with the design house Deux Ex Machina that was originally founded in Australia and is still headquartered in Sydney.
This combination has also reworked an ICE-based JCW Mini concept dubbed The Machina for Munich.
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While Deus Ex Machina is now internationally-owned and operates globally, its involvement in the The Skeg was overseen by one of the company’s founders and creative director, Australian Carby Tuckwell.
Deus Ex Machina strongly influenced the exterior of The Skeg, which is intentionally “raw” in some places.
Finished in yellow and silver, The Skeg features wide fenders, an illuminated front grille and a flex-tip roof spoiler.
Cleverly, considering the vehicle’s surfing connection – a Skeg if you didn’t know is another name for a surfboard fin – semi-transparent fiberglass panels including the roof reduce vehicle weight by 15 per cent and are claimed to improve aerodynamics.
Confusingly, the roof spoiler is shaped like the concave underside of a board and is reported in the official Mini press release to generate “lift”.
Isn’t that the opposite of what wings on cars are supposed to do, which is create more downforce and grip?.
Tensions straps on the roof are meant to evoke surfboard tie-downs while both cars have an X painted on their roofs to link them and the partnership between Mini and Deus Ex Machina.
Inside The Skeg, the dashboard is also fiberglass, while other design elements include a stripped back set of analogue controls, a fiberglass tray for wetsuits and lightweight bucket front seats trimmed in neoprene wetsuit material. Xs are also part of the interior design theme.
The Machina ICE concept switches attention to a motorsport theme, which ties in with the restoration of a historic Mini Cooper S racing car Tuckwell completed with long-time collaborator Matt Willey in 2023.
Willey also worked on these two new concepts.
Along with the The Skeg and The Machina, Mini and Deus Ex Machina will also launch a new apparel range in Munich.
Unlike the concepts, the clothing will be offered for sale, albeit via the Deus Ex Machina network rather than MIni.
