Electric converted classic mini. Yes or No?

[@troyboy4345]

Everyone that drives an original Mini gets it ... superb car, many good times for me ...

[@ramblerandy2397]

Yep. The only car you might be in the position to decide to speed up for the corners. There happens to be a 300bhp electric conversion BMC Mini out there too. The guy who owns it can't stop smilling from ear to ear.😋

[@troyboy4345]

@@ramblerandy2397 yeh i try and watch all the electric conversion vids, the Mini was the 1st car i ever worked on, my Mums Mini city, head gasket, i was 17 ... thought i was the dogs 🤣

[@ramblerandy2397]

@@troyboy4345 Same here. 1st engine rebuild on the shed floor. I was also 17. 😁

[@SteveLoughran]

I have flashbacks every time a see a new mini of driving back from the Scottish highlands in January and the thing almost failing to get through the lakes -I had to come off the M6 and use the A roads while trying to dry the electrics. Windscreen wipers which did nothing and headlights which were so dim the generated heat couldn't stop ice buildup. Bought a zero maintenance used mkII Astra and had no regrets. My wife complains that I still have one bad habit from the mini era: I don't slow down entering corners.

[@synpol]

The look on your face during that test just says it all really ..... great way to revive classic cars and its another way of recycling cars and satisfy the green credentials

[@0-Will-0]

If I was a millionaire, this would be top of my list. I know it wouldn't require a million, I just mean I'd want this more than a 911 turbo or anything fancy. Completely agree with you Richard about EVs still having character. So much more pleasant to drive a torquey car with regen too.

[@colintwyning9614]

Love Minis, Love Classics, Love EVs. Beautiful

[@markdawson4625]

Great to see a proper Mini out and about. Had one for 5 years, wish I still owned it!! Good memories and learnt how to work on cars, easy diy. Thanks for the vid Richard.

[@spikebmth]

Amazing, classic minis such fun to drive, a friend had a Cooper S. From your grin, you'll be adding one of those to the RSEV fleet! Love smaller EVs!

[@KiwiShoot]

Classic cars are great for conversion. If folks think it’s wrong you can always buy a quart of oil to drop onto the driveway.... for old times sake.

[@StefanWolves2013]

Drove one of these during a track car experience day, but not battery. Definitely make you smile, a lot of fun

[@judebrown4103]

Well Richard, I just turned 65 and I wasn't feeling particularly old until you, an obvious car fanatic said you'd never driven a proper mini! 😅 Everyone had a mini as one of their first cars when I learnt to drive back in the late seventies and the conversions we did then, oh my goodness there were some shockers! 😅 Oh and I've just remembered a lad who bought an original Fiat 500 painted it bright orange with big white spots, put something like a Cooper S 1250cc or it might even have been an RS 2000 out of a Ford Sierra, in the back which he polished chrome and left hanging half out the car. There wasn't much room left inside so he cut a hole in the roof and put the seat and the steering on stilts and drove with his head sticking out the top! Those were the days, you could buy four inch spacers which we put on ours until someone drove it too fast round an up and over bend at the sea front and watched the front wheel sailing off ahead of them! Unbelievable what we got away with when I think back on it, all good fun.😂 Thanks for stirring up the memories Richard.👍

[@edwyncorteen1527]

I learnt to drive in one, superb fun. This was when driving lessons were £1 an hour!

[@jm9371]

I owned a 1979 Mini special with the MIGHTY 1000 cc engine. Mechanical nightmare that was super fun to drive; 4 wheel drum brakes that I was constantly adjusting.

[@michaelarcher6278]

Back in 1979 I drove an original Mini from Dorset to John o'groats. Great fun. Not sure you get the real experience in a battery version 🤔

[@johndoyle4723]

People of my age all had experience of a mini, they were great fun, and you learned how to fix them out of necessity. They broke down when it was raining as the distributor was out front in the rain, you had to fit a 5 fingered condom thing filled with WD40 and even then it stopped in the rain.

[@TheBigGLW]

Never driven a classic Mini before? 😮 Looks like a great drive - and for genuine local driving and a charger at home, perfect!

[@garrycroft4215]

Owned two back to back in the 60s. Best fun you will ever have with your clothes on. 🎉

[@royd63uk]

Great video ,my first car was a mini estate in 1972 loved it

[@keriford54]

Very cool that it is actually a bit lighter than it was originally. Looks like a super fun car.

[@nigelm7777]

Interesting that it is still registered as a petrol car, so should probably not have the green stripe on the number plate. I assume it needs an IVA to be fully road legal as an EV, I would have thought it would have had to have been approved before being on the road?

[@adamchoi8136]

The steering wheel position looks quirky and fun. Car looks like a party🎉

[@grahambrown42]

Those seats look a lot better than the original ones.

[@thefathippy]

I learnt to drive in an 1100cc mini. What a fun car it was. I'd definitely buy an EV original mini - if it was affordable. Or a similarly sized modern version. 🤷

[@JustinCooperMarsh]

YES! I loved my 998cc Mini, my first car

[@highmoorash7638]

I loved driving a mini, back in the day, akin to a dodgem at the fairground.😎

[@TheRothenborg]

that could put a smile on your face :-)

[@80y3r9]

Oops forgot to like this morning, maybe while I type this counts as another watch.. hopefully that helps

[@sargfowler9603]

They must surely sell like hotcakes! Your face must have been hurting after so such smiling!

[@erolcoulson8982]

My first car was a mini clubman brilliant car ...

[@jonathantaylor1998]

I'm perfectly comfortable with the idea that classic cars can be electrified - your name-sake at Electric Classic Cars is proof that there's a market out there for them, for sure. As for cars, I've driven 3 original Minis in my car-life... My first was a Mini Clubman 1000 when I was 18 - I desperately wanted the smoother-fronted regular 1000, but I just couldn't find a 'clean' example within my budget. Great car, nonetheless. My 2nd was a spontaneous auction purchase - an 850cc Mini van... painted in non-factory burgundy red metallic with burgundy, quilted velour door-cards and headlining... I never dared contemplate what the previous owner got up to in it...! Sadly, on the weekend I had agreed to sell it to someone responding to my newspaper ad, it threw the fanbelt at 60mph down the A1 and seized the block... The last one was a mint 1275GT... not mine, but loaned to to me for a couple of months as a stop-gap 'company car'... The first couple of days.... WOW...!! Sadly, by Day-3 of my 70-mile round trip commute, my body was aching like a 90 year old...!! Great cars... but I'm perfectly happy with modern-day comfort and quiet, thank you very much...

[@andrewcraynor1252]

I get what these guys are trying to do but why wouldn’t you go out and buy. current Mini used ev- more space, more range etc for around £20k. Until these guys make it at an affordable price it’s just a pipe dream for most of us!!

[@ramblerandy2397]

My first car was an Austin Mini, and when other people that I know, who also have had a BMC Mini say they could never get on with a central speedo I refer them to their original Mini. It tends to make them think a bit more. Or even a Mk I Toyota Yaris, which I have also extensively driven. Somehow it was never a problem then - which is exactly why it isn't now.

[@ytdood]

At 6.4, I always wondered if I would fit in one, but as an EV conversion, it might have enough torque to carry me :))

[@andrewclarke1077]

I’m 6’4” and my first car was a mini clubman 1100… nobody could sit behind me but I fitted fine 👍🏻

[@SteveLoughran]

I got a bike in mine, but I did have to take the passenger seat out. Which took about 10 minutes with a spanner from the bike toolkit. Not a sign of safety

[@richardturner7356]

I want one!!!

[@Rabs73]

Lovely car. I would worry about crashing it with that battery in the front but you really don't want to crash any original mini. I guess you have to take some risks in life though 😊

[@MrGMawson2438]

3:46 you will love it Richard

[@MrGMawson2438]

lol that's a real size mini the new German ones are big

[@haveaseatplease]

A car with some road feel and with indicator and wiper stalks and a physical driving direction selector, what's not to like?

[@imprezaaudi]

I have cash waiting to convert mine classic Mini. The big hurdle is cost £27K+Vat plus installation costs. This is too expensive when BMW mini has a an EV version now with more range and power for not a lot more, starting at £30k on the road. Come on Fellten, you could sell many more kits if your prices started around £20k installed.

[@raypurchase801]

When will a kit be available for my Austin A35?

[@djtaylorutube]

But but... I don't want that silly centre console where I have to look to the side for the speedometer, I want a HUD! (parody aimed at everyone who complains about Tesla centre display, in case anyone couldn't spot it).

[@jeromeandre4915]

ahah loved it!

[@jeromeandre4915]

Simply fantastic!

[@timoliver8940]

Having had 2 pals very seriously injured when they crashed their old Mini’s I’ll stick with my 2022 Mini Electric with its unusable rear seats (unless you can fit into a child’s car seat) but a ton of modern safety equipment………….

[@devonbikefilms]

Simple answer, yes, definitely.

[@adriangray7979]

Treat yourself to one, you’ll always have a smile on your face!

[@MJB9559]

Looks brilliant….would love one 😜👍

[@NickFoster]

Yes please...

[@trailfleamlangdon2260]

Yes, Yes, Yes!

[@gp7538]

Shame there are no indicative prices anywhere

[@huwdavies6650]

Slightly less insane than the one Mr Richard Moggy Morgan built with a Tesla drive unit.

[@MrLikerBiker]

That looks like Castle Combe race track

[@kevinphillips9408]

Stunning

[@connclissmann6514]

Great to see the conversation option. Good friend of mine in the motor trade described the Mini as a tin biscuit box with wheels. Modern cars offer a lot more safety protection, so I would dissuade any of our kids from buying one. Thanks for the video, great to see it.

[@iareid8255]

I see no point at all in converting a classic to electric power. Modern electric cars are designed with that power unit in mind and the best of designs are a compromise in many aspects. Taking a car designed for a completely different power unit and transmission must mean severe compromises and 'making the best of a bad job'. A bastard is abastard no matter how prettily it is painted.

[@jeromeandre4915]

This Mini doesn't use production lectric car components, it uses a conversion system built from the ground up, to ISO standards, to power the Mini, while keeping its feel and characteristics. (y)

[@iareid8255]

Jerome, the standards are irrelevant. Where doe sthe battery go? is it still front wheel drive? what is the wieght difference, especially the balance between front and back? Is the supension still using the rubber units? What is the power output of the motor? So many variables that have to be fitted into the old body.

[@jeromeandre4915]

@@iareid8255 all your questions are answered in the video and the system was developed to keep the car's characteristics. This is no Hot Rod (y) - In fact BMW (MINI's Owners) have given this system a seal of approval - the Mini even officially sports the MINI wings on its boot!.

[@martagutierrezaguilo5562]

A big no. Minis have A-series engine and it's magnificent sound. There is abosolutely no point in spoiling a classic Mini when there's plenty of new modern stuff out there to experiment with. No A-series, No Mini.

[@biscayforex4317]

couldn't agree more

[@BobH809]

For me the answer is simple, No. I have never liked Mini's and cannot understand the attraction of them. However, much like Marmite, they are a loved car by many, so there must be something worthwile about them.

[@MrJmduffy]

How easy to convert modern mini

[@MrGMawson2438]

Big full go-kart 😆

[@SteveLoughran]

Well, a lack of heating , a battery filling the boot and range anxiety “will I get home from work” aren’t exactly new features.

[@rogerfinch7651]

Probably!

[@brettc1169]

Sad fact is all restomods to electric cannot have there V5 amended to electric, it will still be classed as a petrol vehicle. Let’s hope this changes soon….

[@jeromeandre4915]

Proper ones go through DVLA and even get green plates.

[@MrGMawson2438]

Hello mate

[@KellySmunt492]

not sure about a leccy mini

[@NP-th1mo]

Sorry but that’s not an original mini. To new.

[@ianthomas8743]

Great car still £35000 to fit to your car

[@15bit62]

Not a fan of these types of restomod - i think things should be kept original. And in a Mini much of the charm was that they were slow, so that you had to drive them well to keep up with traffic.

[@ianhamilton3113]

I lived in a hilly area and could have done with one of these. My one was so underpowered.

[@andrewmann3787]

Another milk float

[@AlanGeorgeBates-oj9zr]

No it's an offence to classic cars give back its original engine and stop the vandalism of classic cars.

[@keithdenton8386]

No no no no. Minis should not be messed with. A classic car that should be kept in original condition. With a petrol engine. Long gear stick. Big round speedo in the middle. Would you repaint a ming vase. This sacrilege.

[@ronniemackenzie097]

Agree it's a terrible unnecessary thing to do to classic minis or classic cars in general!

[@martagutierrezaguilo5562]

No A-series, No Mini. Totally agree with you.

[@bibliotek42]

Convert it absolutely. But the mini is still awful.