- Mini and Deus Ex Machina have teamed up to create two one-off John Cooper Works cars
- There’s The Skeg, an electric coastal-inspired car, and The Machina, a low-slung ICE that takes its cues from the motorsport world
- While the cars aren’t up for purchase, there’s a collaborative Mini x Deus Ex Machina apparel collection that goes on sale on the 8th of September, 2025
Ever wondered what a Mini would look like if it was in possession of a healthy dose of rage? No? Well, no matter — Mini and Deus Ex Machina’s new collaboration does just that anyway. The somewhat unlikely duo has come together to create two one-of-a-kind, heavily customised John Cooper Works vehicles that celebrate performance and creativity in equal measure.
Built as two halves of a whole, the collaboration comprises an electric and a combustion vehicle. First off the mark is The Skeg, an electric vehicle that takes its cues from surf culture. Its materiality inspired by surfboard construction, The Skeg features an abundance of fibreglass panels across its yellow and silver bodywork, with the material stripping 15% off the car’s total weight. Wide fenders, and illuminated front grille, and a roof spoiler give The Skeg a dynamic stance. At the rear, there’s a Flex Tip Surf Spoiler which handles airflow like a surfboard rides the contours of a wave, with its form looking to the concave underside of a board to redirect movement and generate speed.
Inside, a reductionist approach reigns supreme, with the interiors drawing inspiration from a mobile surf shop. Indeed, there’s a mounting sling on the underside of the roof for holding a surfboard, the rear seats have been replaced with fiberglass trays for wetsuits, and traditional upholstery materials are forgone in favour of neoprene on the bucket seats. The controls on the fibreglass dashboard prioritise simplicity and tactility, taking a form follows function approach.
Moving onto the ICE side of things, The Machina embodies Mini’s motorsport heritage, with a healthy injection of Deus Ex Machina’s aggressive insouciance. It takes a low stance with wide fenders, while four additional headlights mounted on the hood pay tribute to rally sport roots. Taking shape in red, white, and black, it features Deus lettering on the rear, with the aforementioned light pods also adorned with subtle Deus branding. On the rear, the diffuser nods to the Mini John Cooper Words race car that sped through the Nürburgring, with its form designed to optimise airflow and amplify the engine’s sound (naturally, while adding aesthetic aggression).
The red, white, and black colour palette continues into the streamlined interiors. The driver’s seat is fitted with a five-point racing harness to secure the driver, while the cabin’s raw aluminium floor plates echo the aesthetic of Deus’ custom motorcycle workshops. Weight-saving measures include stripped-back door panels (with a white ‘X’ to mark the spot) and a durable waxed fabric dashboard that arrives already patinated. Like its coastal sibling, The Machina takes a tactile, function-first approach to its controls, eschewing electronic controls in favour of mechanical buttons. A fun touch is the hydraulic handbrake with an oversized lever that’s set to increase the thrill of drifting tenfold (the official word from Mini is that this acts “as a direct connection between driver and vehicle — a commitment to precision and control”).
Words by Henry Blake
