Pentagram partners Matt Willey and Piotr Woronkowicz have collaborated with Deus Ex Machina and MINI on comprehensive designs for two one-off John Cooper Works cars.

This project represents the culmination of years of conversation and creative partnership between friends. After designing a custom livery for a historic racing Mini Cooper S in 2023, Willey reunited with Deus creative director Carby Tuckwell and joined forces with MINI to create unique livery designs for two fully working prototypes: the 2025 J01 Electric and the 2025 F66 Petrol. When the scope expanded to the form and physical design of the cars, Willey brought in his Pentagram partner Piotr Woronkowicz, an industrial designer and lifelong car enthusiast, to help shape the project. Together, the three worked across graphics, materials, and overall form to develop two custom one-offs: the 2025 J01 Electric and the 2025 F66 Petrol.

The process was collaborative. Four studios—Designworks in Los Angeles and Munich, Deus in Sydney, and Pentagram in New York—worked together across time zones and disciplines to bring the project to life. Woronkowicz and Willey developed the design for the cars in tandem, shaping decisions around structure, materials, graphics, and form together.  The project unfolded with the energy and enthusiasm that only comes from collaboration between friends. These are cars made by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. That spirit defined the entire process.  

The team’s research focused on the revolutionary Formula One achievements of 1959–1960, when Jack Brabham’s Cooper T51 became the first rear-engined car to win back-to-back World Championships, overturning the front-engine convention that had dominated the sport. The influence of Cooper on F1 and motorsport history became a foundation for the project’s graphic language, which included the development of three custom typefaces. The type designs drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, from hand-painted race numbers to mechanical details such as perforated metal used as a weight-saving technique in performance vehicles.

The 2025 F66, named The Machina, highlights raw engineering and racing heritage. Its exterior combines a red, white, and black palette in matte and gloss finishes with perforated aluminum panels inspired by weight-saving techniques, exposed seams that celebrate fabrication, widened fenders with visible hardware, and rally-style lighting. Custom-milled wheels and painted fasteners emphasize attention to detail, while a perforated grille reveals a bespoke Deus logo. A large spoiler and functional diffuser reinforce its stance, while inside, traditional gauges, toggle switches, a hydraulic handbrake, racing seats, and a partial roll cage emphasize direct mechanical control.

The J01 Electric, called The Skeg, takes inspiration from surfboard construction. Translucent fiberglass body panels reduce weight, improve aerodynamics, and allow light to filter into the cabin. Straps integrated into the roof and interior provide a built-in system for securing boards. The front end was formed as a single smooth fiberglass surface without parting lines, with a glowing LED halo embedded to recall MINI’s signature grille. At the rear, the spoiler is shaped to flex with airflow like the lip of a surfboard, giving the car a sense of movement and personality while celebrating its electric drivetrain.

Willey then worked with Deus art director Stevie James to extend the graphics into a clothing collection. The apparel line launched at IAA Mobility in Munich and is available globally via Deus retail and online. The cars and collection debuted together at the MINI Pavilion and remained on display throughout the fair. The vehicles have since appeared at a hill climb in Italy and are expected to continue traveling to MINI and Deus events worldwide.