I’ve long been a champion of EV resto-modded classic Minis. Ever since driving one back in 2018, I’ve been hooked on the idea of a classic Mini with an electric powertrain. For starters, I’m a great lover of the regular classic Mini. Its compact size, plucky handling, and charmingly simple cabin make it a delight to use and perfect for an electric motor swap. In the UK, you can actually buy an EV resto-modded Mini and it’s called the Electrogenic Mini.

Electrogenic is a company that resto-mods a lot of classic cars with electric motors; Land Rover Defenders, Porsche 911s, and even the Triumph Stag. However, the Mini might be their best yet, simply because classic Minis are so perfect for EV power. In this new review from Car Magazine, we get to see why.

The best part about this Electrogenic Mini is that it has a five-speed manual transmission. The electro-modded Mini I drove years ago also had a manual transmission and it was one of the most enjoyable, unique driving experiences I’ve ever had. There’s no slipping of clutches or anything like that — it’s just off the power, onto the clutch, shift gears, off the clutch, onto the power. It’s all very binary and all very easy. A manual transmission in an electric car is entirely unnecessary and actually probably reduces range but it makes the experience more fun, which is why more brands should do it.

Electrogenic uses Hyper 9 electric motors in its cars, capable of up to 120 bhp. However, in this specific Mini, it only makes 65 bhp because it’s used as a tourist vehicle in London. Plus, you don’t need a lot of electric power to make the ultra-light Mini fun. It only has 80 miles of range but, I don’t know if you’ve ever driven a classic Mini, not many people want to drive further than that. Rubber cone suspension isn’t exactly enjoyable over long distances.

As EV resto-mod Mini is one of my dream cars, as it would make the most fun little daily driver. Folks in the UK can now get one from Eletrogenic and it’s absolutely worth the high cost, even if only for the manual transmission.

[Source: Car Magazine]