HEADLINER ELECTROMECHANIC
BECAUSE THEY DON’T MAKE ’EM LIKE THEY USED TO
Meet the electric restomod that you can create at home – it’s so easy you can do the conversion in a day, apparently
WORDS GREG POTTS
PHOTOGRAPHY
HUCKLEBERRY MOUNTAIN
Electrogenic’s ‘drop-in’ kit allows you to convert your old Mini into an EV from the comfort of your own garage. Apparently it’s so straightforward, even a novice could fit it... “It’s super simple,” read the missive from editor Rix. “Aim is to fit the entire EV kit to a Mini in a day. Prove how easy it is.” Erm, right. I will freely admit that, while I can talk and write about cars until the brake horsepowers come home, I’m not exactly the handiest with a spanner.
The kit itself is Electrogenic’s latest offering. The Oxfordshire-based firm has been converting classics since 2018 and will still build your car for you if you ask nicely, but having racked up a two year waiting list it recently decided to progress its self-install scheme. You won’t be recreating Jason Momoa’s electric 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II in your living room any time soon (Electrogenic reckons that build was “the most ambitious and complex EV conversion ever undertaken”) but the Mini kit doesn’t require any high voltage work and so can be done by those with a small amount of mechanical experience, a ramp and a decent toolkit.