With profile text painted periodically across its exterior reading ‘THIS TOY IS ELECTRIC’, the use case and spirit of this custom Mini Cooper SE ragtop is literally spelled out. But, if you wished, you could paraphrase it as ‘ECO-CONSCIOUS FUN’, indicating what EV owners around the globe already know.

Aside from the powertrain, the Mini Cooper SE Convertible, as it is known, is not so different from the Mini Cooper S Convertible. Its single electric motor, which is fueled by a 32.6 kWh battery, pumps out 181 horsepower at peak, enough juice to get the green, puckish little ride to 62 MPH in a respectable 7.7 seconds. The one-off’s range is 143 miles on a full charge.

Clearly an envoy for the next generation of Mini models, the Cooper SE Convertible is less pragmatic than playful, and more pastime than pack mule. The variants it engenders will also hopefully resemble the Mini STRIP concept, a Cooper SE EV variant conceived with help from British design legend Paul Smith, which appeared late last summer.

The Cooper SE Convertible participated in this year’s Mini Takes the States rally this summer. The nine-day event concluded on the 17th of this month.

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