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.
