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Electric MINI Cooper Sets Two Guinness World Records for Tightest Parallel Park

During the British Motor Show 2022, the stuntman Paul Swift set a Guinness World Record for an electric car park in the tightest spot. His feat measured 13.78 inches (35 centimeters), successfully achieved behind the wheel of an electric MINI Cooper. Not comfortable with this triumph, the British champion upped the bar with another victorious attempt.
Tightest Parallel Park in an Electric Vehicle 6 photos
Photo: Guinness World Records
Paul Swift parked a Mini-e with a one foot clearancePaul Swift parked a Mini-e with a one foot clearancePaul Swift parked a Mini-e with a one foot clearancePaul Swift parked a Mini-e with a one foot clearancePaul Swift parked a Mini-e with a one foot clearance
The record considers the gap between the parking spot and the length of the parked car. The Swift-driven electric MINI squeezed its way into a space just 13,78 inches bigger than the vehicle. To be recognized as an official record, the car's front and rear wheels also had to be no more than 12 inches away from the curb.

Paul Swift made swift work of breaking the record on the very first day of the British Motor Show 2022. However, he wasn't having it as it was, with his over-one-foot-gap record, so he took another turn. Determined to (hand)-break his freshly-awarded performance, the stunt driver set the parking margin at a little under one foot (11.81 inches, or 30 centimeters).

Again, behind the wheel of the trusty record-setting MINI Cooper SE, Swift surpassed his two-day-old attainment and became the Guinness World Record holder for the Tightest Parallel Car Park in an electric car. Watch the videos below to see how he comfortably fits the small automobile in the claustrophobia-inducing space.

Paul Swift is a seven-time British Motorsport champion for whom driving is a family tradition and a passion, not just a profession. He learned how to be a stunt driver at the young age of seven. His vehicle was the family's ride-on lawn mower. Later on, he accompanied his father, stunt driving legend Russ Swift, steering a half-scale MINI Cooper during the Swift Team antics.

Although his performance is no small achievement (despite its tiny overall dimensions), Paul Swift's feat is for electric cars. For ICEs, the record is a crammed 3 inches (7.5 centimeters)! Also set by a British stunt driver, the performance was accomplished seven years ago, in July 2018, with a Fiat 500 (you can watch the stunt on the  FiatUk YouTube Channel).

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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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