Mini Electric Pacesetter chosen as official Formula E safety car

Iconic British automaker Mini is celebrating this week after its newly unveiled Mini Electric Pacesetter was announced as the new Safety Car for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race series.

Mini teased its new Mini Electric Pacesetter last week on Twitter, when the company tweeted out a shadowy photo dominated by pace car-style lights and the hashtash, #ElectricThrillMaximised.

Unveiled on Tuesday, Mini added definition to its teaser image, unveiling the Mini Electric Pacesetter, a highly modified Safety Car created out of the new Mini Cooper SE as part of a collaboration between Mini Design, BMW Motorsport, the FIA, and the Formula E.

At the same time, the new Electric Pacesetter was revealed as the new Safety Car for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race series.

And while the car is not exactly a production car or expected to result in a production car, Mini nevertheless boasts that its new Electric Pacesetter “connects the brand’s electrified future with the rich racing history of John Cooper Works.”

Weighing 287-pounds less than the Mini Cooper SE that it’s based on, thanks to a gutted interior that has been replaced by a welded-in roll cage and race certified seats with six-point seatbelt, the Electric Pacesetter nevertheless looks exactly like a Mini should look like, including circular headlights and a hexagonal radiator grille creating the familiar Mini face.

At the same time, however, signature John Cooper Works elements have been added, giving the very Mini-looking car a very race car makeover.

Boasting a kerb weight of approximately 1,230-kilograms and producing 135kW and 280Nm, the Electric Pacesetter can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and speed from 80-120km/h in a time of 4.3 seconds.

Expected to see action for the first time in Rome on April 10 at the second event (Race 3) of Formula E’s 2021 season, the Mini Electric Pacesetter will be driven by official FIA Formula E Safety Car driver Bruno Correia.