David Brown Automotive crafts some of the most exquisite classic Mini restomods under its Mini Remastered label and the latest one couldn’t possibly be more British. There are several reasons for that, going beyond the obvious fact that it’s a classic Mini, a quintessentially British car if there ever was one. This particular project takes inspiration from one of James Bond’s most iconic vehicles, the Lotus Esprit Turbo from 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” movie.

This Mini Remastered commission sports the same color scheme as the movie car, combining Lotus’ ‘Copper Glow’ and ‘Turbo’ graphic hand-painted in ‘Sahara Gold’. The bespoke exterior paint finish is contrasted by David Brown Automotive’s ‘Fade to Black’ wheel arches and roof.


This stunning Mini Remastered creation rides on 13-inch bespoke alloys, also painted in ‘Sahara Gold’ and hiding black brake calipers behind them. As with all the rest of David Brown Automotive’s creations, the level of detail is simply insane with this James Bond-themed classic Mini. The vintage car also gets triple Cibié bumper-mounted auxiliary driving lights and LED front headlights for up-to-date visibility in all conditions, as well as a panoramic sunroof which opens to reveal a small yet highly-luxurious interior.

The Mini restomod features a wood veneer dash in ‘Dark American Burr Walnut’ with a gloss lacquer, ‘Arctic White’ leather upholstery and white Alcantara headlining. The beauty is in the details and those include ivory LED illuminated Smiths dials, ‘Day Tripper’ painted trim and a superb wood-rimmed steering wheel with aluminum spokes.


As with other Mini Remastered builds, this one also gets a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity. Another contemporary feature is a six-speaker sound system the owner of this particular car, British TV personality and record executive Simon Cowell, will certainly use. Power comes from a 1,330-cc remastered A-series engine that delivers 94 hp at 6,100 rpm and 117 Nm of torque to the front wheels via a reconditioned four-speed manual gearbox.

David Brown Automotive did not reveal how much Simon Cowell paid for his bespoke classic Mini but you can be sure it was way more than the £ 75,000 (US$ 97,000) the company typically charges for a ‘standard’ Mini Remastered.