• MINI returns to the 24-hour Nürburgring race, continuing its collaboration with Bulldog Racing.
• Collaboration with DEUS Ex Machina for striking new MINI racing livery.
• The race starts on 21 June 2025.
Following last year's class win, MINI John Cooper Works will again compete at this year's 53rd annual 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, in collaboration with Bulldog Racing. Achieving victory in the SP-3T class last year with the nearing-production #317 MINI John Cooper Works Pro, MINI is hoping to continue this success in 2025 at 'Green Hell' - one of the toughest tests in motorsport with fast straights, demanding curves, and significant elevation changes.
MINI x DEUS
At the starting line of this year's race, the MINI John Cooper Works will feature a specially designed black and white livery from DEUS Ex Machina - a glimpse into something the two brands MINI x DEUS are building toward.
'Our models have always been characterised by the combination of design and dynamics. Our MINI John Cooper Works, which will compete in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, takes this combination to the next level: Thanks to this collaboration with Deus Ex Machina, we are setting new, exciting impulses for MINI fans and motorsport enthusiasts. Both brands are characterised by creativity and attention to detail, which allows the creation of exclusive designs with a distinctly individual style,' explains Stefan Richmann, Head of MINI.
Combining passion, high performance and craftsmanship, the design team have created a black and white vehicle livery featuring a large 'DEUS' logo as a graphic element. The unconventional, playful handling of the brand presence is typical of DEUS and gives the MINI 24-hour race car its visual identity this year.
The reduced black and white colour scheme ensures that additional elements such as starting numbers or team logos are harmoniously integrated into the overall image while hand-drawn logos on the windows and other surfaces underline the raw, conceptual character of the race car, making it appear like a 'moving sketchbook'. This is intended to suggest that the Nürburgring 24-hour race car is just a foretaste. It is the perfect first milestone in the MINI x DEUS collaboration.
For the design of the race car livery, MINI Design collaborated with Designworks. The BMW Group subsidiary has elaborated the creative idea of DEUS in detail. 'Successful brand collaborations arise when partners inspire and drive each other forward. With DEUS, MINI and Designworks, we were able to unleash a remarkable design dynamic. The DEUS livery of the MINI John Cooper Works at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is just the first proof of this,' says Holger Hampf, Head of MINI Design.
MINI Continues Its Racing Heritage
With its appearance, MINI is continuing its long-standing racing heritage. The brand has been considered an underdog in motorsports from the very beginning - and yet has written motorsport history. The 1964 Monte Carlo Rally became a shining moment for the British Outsider; with its transversely mounted front engine and front-wheel drive, the classic Mini was the epitome of a practical small car - and proved to be a successful race car thanks to the ingenious racing engineer John Cooper.
The victory in the Monte Carlo Rally was not an accident, but the result of meticulous hardwork. This was followed by two more victories in the famous rally in 1965 and 1967. The tradition and passion for MINI's racing heritage is still palpable and tangible in the current line-up. The latest MINI John Cooper Works models are characterised by their aerodynamic precision and performance-oriented four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine.
Photo credit: MINI posted on conceptcarz.com
