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One of the Biggest Names in Motorcycle Culture Just Took Hot Hatchbacks to the Next Level

A top-notch two-wheeled custom outfit has applied its talents to the world of cars through a pair of seriously cool compacts.

Close-up of four round headlights on a vehicle with a black matte housing and an orange body. Light beams are visible shining from the headlights. Below the lights, there is a perforated grille with a "John Cooper Works" logo.Mini
Gray Van Dyke headshot

By Gray Van Dyke

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Although Deus Ex Machina began as a niche surf and motorcycle hangout in Sydney, Australia, the brand’s championing of stoke culture has allowed it to grow into a global presence.

As such, nowadays, you’ll find that Deus dabbles in everything from coffee and records to bicycles and snow sports.

Two customized Mini Cooper cars are parked inside a spacious industrial-style garage with large grid windows. The car on the left features a bold design with a red, white, and black color scheme, four additional roof-mounted spotlights, and wide tires with white lettering. The car on the right has a more muted color palette with a glowing outline around the front grille, yellow and black striped accents on the side, and sporty wheels. The wet floor reflects both cars and the windows above.
One being gas and one being electric, these John Cooper Works Minis make for quite the pairing.
Mini

Occasionally, the brand’s designers will even take their talents to cars. Just take this pair of hatchbacks that were recently completed in collaboration with Mini, for example.

Surf and turf

Both cars come based on John Cooper Works models from the Mini catalog, though Deus took each concept car in a markedly different direction.

Being an all-electric model, ‘The Skeg’ is a beach-ready runabout that takes its inspiration from surfing culture. For instance, as an homage to board construction, the car incorporates semi-transparent fiberglass panels that reduce its overall weight by 15 percent.

A compact, sporty car with a matte gray body featuring bold black and yellow diagonal stripes on the side. The front has a distinctive illuminated outline around the grille area and round LED headlights. The car has wide, low-profile tires with intricate multi-spoke rims, a prominent rear spoiler, and a black lower bumper. It is parked indoors on a wet, reflective concrete floor with large windows in the background. The windshield has a decal that reads "DEUS EX MACHINA.
The Skeg is a beach-ready runabout that incorporates extensive fiberglass as an homage to surf culture.
Mini

That’s not all. Around the rear, you’ll find a Flex Tip Surf Spoiler that’s meant to mimic the fins on a board. Moreover, inside, The Skeg comes equipped with specially shaped shelves and neoprene upholstery to give it an added element of practicality.

In the case of ‘The Machina,’ Deus looked to Mini’s competition heritage to build a rowdy, gas-powered John Cooper Works racer. 

A customized Mini Cooper with a wide body kit, large black fender flares, and racing tires. The car features a white and red paint scheme with a large black circle on the door and "DEUS EX MACHINA" text on the windshield. It has four additional round rally-style lights mounted on the hood, LED headlights, and a prominent front grille with "DEUS" displayed. The car is parked indoors on a wet, reflective floor with large industrial windows in the background.
The Machina is a gas-powered racer that honors Mini’s motorsport history through its distinctive design elements.
Mini

Painted in classic red, white and black, it honors the brand’s various motorsport pursuits through components like auxiliary headlights for rallying and a rear diffuser to represent its Nordschleife efforts.

Add to that widened wheel arches, a bespoke grille and some custom-built light pods with integrated intakes, and the result is a hatch that looks to the past while introducing something wholly new unto its own.

Two Mini Cooper cars with distinctive custom designs are parked indoors on a wet concrete floor. The car in the foreground has a light green roof with a large white "X" and two yellow stripes, black and yellow accents on the body, and "DEUS EX MACHINA" written on the windshield. The car in the background features a black roof with a white "X," a red front, and black and white geometric patterns on the sides, with "JOHN COOPER WORKS" text visible. Both cars have sporty, modified appearances with wide tires and aerodynamic features.
The ‘X’ atop each car is meant to represent the collaboration and unity between the two brands.
Mini

An exercise in excitement

From the factory, Mini’s John Cooper Works models pack quite the punch — despite their diminutive size.

With 258 horsepower on tap courtesy of its single electric motor, the EV is good for a 0-60 mph sprint around six seconds. Coincidentally, the gas-powered John Cooper Works and its 231-horsepower inline-four will take you to 60 mph in about the same time.

Interior roof of a car featuring two parallel mustard yellow fabric straps running across a light-colored ceiling. The car's frame is exposed with visible metal parts, and the rear seats have a sporty design with black and beige upholstery. The rear side window displays the text "JOHN COOPER WORKS" in reverse.
The Skeg features a set of runners that allow for surfboard storage.
Mini

In any case, even though The Skeg and The Machina forgo powertrain upgrades, that’s not to say that they’re without improvements. Quite the contrary, as both cars do away with everything unnecessary in the pursuit of streamlined performance. 

However, they accomplish it differently. The Skeg simplifies the interior experience by way of its minimal controls and surf-ready focus. By contrast, The Machina takes a much more industrial approach, employing raw metals and mechanical switches through its emphasis on automotive utility. 

Two sporty Mini Coopers with custom lighting and decals are driving on a winding mountain road surrounded by dense green foliage and rocky cliffs. The car in front has additional rally-style lights mounted on its hood and a bold red, white, and black color scheme, while the car behind features a more subtle light design with a glowing outline around its grille. Both cars have "DEUS EX MACHINA" written on their windshields.
Though these Minis are vastly different in execution, they share the same adventurous spirit.
Mini

Collaborative capsule

The two Mini John Cooper Works cars you see before you are solely concepts. However, as part of their ongoing partnership, Mini and Deus Ex Machina will be releasing a collaborative apparel collection. 

As such, even if you can’t drive The Skeg or The Machina, there’s a chance that you’ll get to wear one as a shirt design. The Mini x Deus Ex Machina capsule is set to launch on September 8, 2025 — first at the IAA in Munich, followed by a global release online and in-store. You can learn more on the Deus Ex Machina website.

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

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