Jonny Smith Tries Out The All-Electric Mini Swind-E Classic

It’s the classic Mini, converted to run on electricity, and it’s pretty cool, if a bit expensive.

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Mar 12, 2020 at 8:21am ET

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There are many classic cars now available fully restored and with an all-electric powertrain that replaces what they came from the factory with. They’re usually quite expensive niche propositions, and the Mini Swind-E Classic, which costs around $100,000, is no exception.

What you get for the money is a perfectly restored classic Mini of your choice, an 107 horsepower (80 kW) electric motor under the hood and a 24 kWh battery pack in the middle. The quoted range is 125 miles (201 km) and it is supposed to be able to sprint to sixty in 9.2 seconds, topping out at 80 mph (130 km/h).

What do you think?

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Jonny Smith recently got behind the wheel of a Swind-E Mini for his YouTube channel, CarPervert, and he seems quite fond of it. He says he really enjoys the concept behind it, especially since there are no alterations made to the rest of the car - it has the standard suspension and brakes setup.

The only drawback for the Swind-E has to be the price. It is some three times more expensive than the more capable brand new MINI Cooper SE, so it addresses those who really want the classic package but with an electric engine; it’s certainly not for everyone.