Got six figures to spend on a Mini? You’re in luck
Before we discuss the 60 limited edition, high-performance versions of the Mini Remastered that David Brown Automotive will be make to celebrate the original classic Mini’s 60th birthday, a bit of disambiguation is in order. That’s because, to this day, the “DB” in the model names of Aston Martin cars happens to stand for David Brown, who owned and managed Aston Martin from the late 1940s into the early 1970s. Brown passed away in 1993. Like Aston Martin’s former owner, David Brown Automotive’s founder is a successful businessman named David Brown with a passion for automobiles, so you might think there’s some kind of connection. The fact that DBA’s first product after the company was started in 2013 was the $639,000 Speedback GT—a Jaguar XK-based grand tourer (as the original AM DB7 was) obviously inspired by 1960s vintage Aston Martins—only adds to the confusion, but the two men and the two companies are not related.
Essentially, David Brown Automotive’s business model is making classic-looking cars with modern technology and luxury accoutrements, offering a full range of bespoke customizations besides. The company combines traditional coachbuilding with modern technology, when appropriate.
The $100,000 Mini Remastered starts with a 1275-cc-powered Mini donor car to make things legal. The body is scrapped and the number plate is transferred to a brand new shell sourced from British Motor Heritage. David Brown Automotive then spends 1000 hours building up the Mini Remastered. The original Mini’s exposed body seams are smoothed, panel gaps are reduced, and body panels are blocked and smoothed to ultra-luxe levels. Once the body is perfect, it gets a paint job that takes four weeks to apply, starting with an electrophorectically applied E-coat for rust-proofing the original Minis never got.
Technology improvements included electrically-assisted power steering, air conditioning, push-button start/stop, power locks, LED lighting, and a seven-inch touchscreen-based infotainment system with navigation; Apple CarPlay; Bluetooth; and 3G, 4G, and DAB connectivity. A full luxury interior is also installed. Essentially, the Mini Remastered is a modern take on the Radford Mini conversions of the 1960s.
Now, working with performance specialist Oselli, DBA will be making 60 “highly tuned” versions. Founded in the 1960s, Oselli has carved out a niche specializing in tuning and upgrading the A-Series Austin engines found in Minis, Sprites, and MG Midgets.
No technical details have been announced, and only two teaser photos have been released, but the “stock” Mini Remastered’s 1275 A-series engine is already tuned up to 83 horsepower, so we can expect some kind of bump in power.
“We are extremely excited to announce this pioneering new partnership with Oselli,” said David Brown in a statement. “We are experts in car design and engineering, while Oselli adds to our combined knowledge as long-term specialists in honing race car performance. The classic Mini has a rich racing heritage and our new car, to be revealed in full soon, gives customers yet another reason to want to own a Mini Remastered now that we are also catering for the performance market.”
Each example of the hotter Mini Remastered will be unique, with one-off color combinations and the option of purchasing a matching racing suit and helmet.
We’ll have more details when David Brown Automotive releases information and renderings of the new old Mini at the upcoming Goodwood Revival next month.
