Australians invented the car/truck combo, lovingly called ‘ute’, in the 1930s. Despite the enduring success of the ute down under, and its flash-in-the-pan popularity in the U.S., MINI seems to be very proud of its own one-off ute: the Paceman Adventure, a pickup-style concept car created by German design apprentices at MINI.
In fact, it’s rather cute the care with which MINI’s press release describes the design of the Paceman Adventure. “Choosing the MINI Cooper S Paceman as their base model, the students transformed the car into a two-seater with a pickup style cargo area,” the press release explains. “The passenger compartment ends behind the front seats where the spacious cargo area for luggage, tools and equipment begins. In addition, a solid roof rack can accommodate a spare wheel.”
Similar MINI utes can be witnessed in urban environments around the U.S., as Red Bull was using converted MINI Coopers as it promotional vehicles for years. I digress.
The Paceman Adventure is powered by 184-horsepower engine, which sends power to all four wheels through MINI’s ALL4 all-wheel drive. It also features a raised ride height, which MINI says is ideal for driving on muddy tracks or desert trails.
If you’re keen to get ahold of one of these MINI utes, you’ll have to head to your MINI dealer and pick a Paceman … then head down to the nearby hardware store and rent a concrete saw. That’s because the Paceman Adventure is a “true one-off” and will not be sent into production.
