MINI JCW x DEUS
Deus Ex Machina and MINI present a partnership that celebrates each brand’s storied legacy of automotive enthusiasm—a collaboration that seamlessly merges racing heritage and contemporary design sensibility. At the center of the partnership is the much-loved MINI John Cooper Works—a canvas for storytelling steeped in exploration and modern craftsmanship.
The collaboration between MINI, long known for pushing the boundaries of automotive design and performance, and Deus Ex Machina, celebrated for disrupting the motorcycle customization space and subsequently the apparel industry, tells the story of two bold brand iconoclasts. Every detail across the MINI JCW—from stitching to upholstery, to technical specifications and lighting—is labored over with intense consideration. The two cars act as a confident nod to the authenticity that both MINI and Deus Ex Machina have long been known for.
Sometimes, the most powerful movements begin in the shadows, from those who dare to challenge expectations—a rallying cry born of enjoyment, perseverance, and an unshakable belief in the power of the underdog.
Great design is rarely a single stroke; it's a collage of half-remembered shapes, borrowed textures, and enduring obsession. When MINI invited Deus Ex Machina to reimagine the JCW, the team raided rally folklore for raw material—pace-note squiggles, tulip diagrams, stopwatch numerals, door-plate circles, and the red-and-white diamonds of Monaco. None were copied verbatim; all were interpreted.
Matt Willey, enlisted as a design co-conspirator, sifted through the archive and found a rhythm: a slab-serif that feels like timing-gear teeth, a numeric set inspired by hand-painted race numbers, and a hidden MINI pattern woven from Monte Carlo diamond motifs. Ideas jumped disciplines, as they tend to do in the Deus-sphere. Spoon surfboards sparked a glass-fiber spoiler with a flexing lip. Classic speed-hole panels morphed into playful polka graphics that skim the rocker. Yellow and black warning stripes became both a tee’s inside-neck print and a graphic on a car door.
Each reference is small, almost throwaway in isolation. Yet together, they form something greater than the sum of its parts—a gestalt where every bolt, stitch, and stroke propels the whole.
The Skeg and The Machina were built as a pair: kindred in spirit, opposite in execution.
The Skeg, a sleek, electric, coast-bound JO1, is a whisper through the streets. A clean, minimal, quiet rebellion. With lines that echo fibreglass curves, the motor hums whispers of salt air and sun-faded mornings. Gliding effortlessly. Composed. All torque and calm.
The Machina - loud, low, combustion-fed. The F66 is a compact punch of raw mechanics and motorsport bloodline. A myth carved into tarmac, and born from a shared enthusiasm for machines that move the soul. Tight in the corners, loud where it counts, and always a few revs away from redline.
Where The Skeg glides clean and silent, The Machina snarls with intent - a twin-flag salute to automotive enthusiasts and lovers of spirited machines.
Sometimes, the most powerful movements begin in the shadows, from those who dare to challenge expectations - a rallying cry born of enjoyment, perseverance, and an unshakeable belief in the power of the underdog.
