A Mini pickup truck might seem like an odd idea, but this particular example is not the first. The original Mini was also sold as a pickup, and it was a smashing success. Between 1961 and 1982, Mini built nearly 60,000 of them. Most impressive of all, it could carry a load of 1,500 pounds. In 2014, Mini unveiled the Paceman Adventure Concept, which was essentially a pickup truck. It was also as good as the Paceman would ever be before the odd production SUV was discontinued.

There's now a new Mini truck, but this one is a one-off custom build based on a Clubman. The man behind this Mini is called Timothy, known on Instagram as imperf3kt. His Insta handle doesn't match the end result, however. The Elcamini, as Timothy dubbed it, is pretty rad.

Minis are supposed to be fun and functional, and the Elcamini hits both of those targets. As you can see, this is not some cheap conversion. After removing part of the roof, Timothy had to add bracing to keep the structure rigid. The rear doors are also sealed, and the bed floor is welded in place.

This is an actual functioning truck with a bed that you can load stuff into. So what do Mini owners need to haul around by the pound? We suspect it's green and rhymes with the name of that quintessential early 2000's one-hit-wonder band, Creed. To make the Elcamini even better at hauling things, Timothy also gave it a suspension lift, chunkier tires, underbody protection, a snorkel, and a roof rack.

We love this idea and hope that Mini actually builds something like this at some point in the future. As we mentioned earlier, there is some logic to it, historically speaking. It could be a proper rival to the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, both of which are proving to be more popular than some of our readers expected. Ford isn't sure it can keep up with the demand, and the Santa Cruz is selling up a storm. It was the fastest-selling vehicle in the USA in August, taking the crown away from the Chevrolet Corvette.

A Mini pickup would easily be cooler than both, though we suspect the Mini would have an even more challenging time convincing the ladder-frame fanatics that it deserves to be called a truck.