Photo: MINI/Tesla/Leasing Options/edited by autoevolution
Elon Musk is a man known to create a lot of controversy surrounding the way he behaves, speaks, and even thinks. But he is also known as the man who managed to put electric cars on the global menu, launching himself and Tesla head-on into a segment no one really knew more than a decade ago if it would succeed.
It was 14 years ago when Tesla released its first car, the Roadster. It was based on a Lotus Elise, so beautiful by definition, only it came powered by an electric drivetrain. Then the even-more-beautiful Model S came along in 2019, shocking everyone with its lack of a front radiator grille and flowing lines.
The Model X and 3 that followed in 2015 and 2017, respectively, can still be considered good-looking, even if overall they tend to blend with the rest of the cars out there and don't stand out in any significant way.
The single idea in Tesla’s portfolio that does stand out, but for all the wrong reasons, is the Cybertruck. When it was first shown in 2019, I sincerely believed I was looking at a metal toolbox with wheels attached. It’s damn ugly, squarish in a weird way, as if it was meant to scare children from approaching the front lawn.
Yet people love it, and find the design inspiring enough as to transfer it to other vehicles, some of them known for their own beauty. Luckily, this happens, for now, only in the digital world, where ideas can’t really hurt anyone.
Photo: Leasing Options
The latest group to try and blend the Cybertruck design into normal-looking cars is British company Leasing Options. Known as a crew of people who like wacky ideas, they've now digitally Cybreturcked (yes, that’s a word now) five randomly selected cars.
The first was the MINI, one of the most instantly recognizable car brands on the planet. Even the people behind this abomination admit that in the real world the British-made vehicle has pretty much stayed true to its original, 1959 design, even if its dimensions and the technology it packs have changed, obviously, over the years.
Yet here we are looking at something Brits themselves did to the MINI just to see how it would look like. Gone are the round elements we see and love on the small car, things like the headlights, front grille, and curved bodywork around the cabin. They’ve all been replaced by square lines so sharp you cut probably cut yourself if you’re not paying attention.
If it weren’t for the Union Jack proudly displayed on what would have been the front grille you’d probably have a hard time identifying this as a MINI. For what it’s worth, though, it’s not a Cybertruck either, as there’s no bed out back.
What is it, then? Why, just another proof at how influential Elon Musk and his companies/products have become.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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