No segment of the classic car market has exploded in popularity recently as wildly as restomods. If you’ve got a classic in mind there’s probably someone out there making it faster, handle better and improving its quality and reliability, and for some makes and models in particular you really are spoiled for choice.
One of those is the classic Mini, with a breadth as wide as Swiftune’s spectacular racing-inspired models, electric-converted hot-rods, and the luxurious, detail-focused models offered by David Brown Automotive – of which the new Oselli Edition is the latest.
Oselli is a familiar name in Mini circles, having extracted extra power from the Mini’s A-series four-cylinder since the 1960s, and it’s the engine that Oselli has concentrated on for David Brown Automotive’s latest Mini Remastered.
Minis were never offered with any more than a 1275cc unit from the factory, but the latest Remastered packs a 1450cc version, sucking through a pair of SU carburettors and hand-ported and polished cylinder head. There’s a stronger crank too, as well as a knobblier camshaft focused on maximising torque.
The results are a 70 per cent power bump over a standard A-series, now up to 125bhp at 6200rpm – a far cry from the 55bhp Cooper, reviewed in the 2021 Hagerty Bull Market list – and 113lb ft of torque from 4500rpm. Directed through a limited-slip differential, five-speed gearbox and a set of 13-inch alloy wheels, the result is a 0-62mph dash of 7.8 seconds and 100-plus mph top speed, though with an emphasis on torque rather than a screaming top-end, the company suggests it’s just as usable on the road as it is on a track.
That said, AP Racing brakes and Bilstein suspension should make light work of the latter, and David Brown has drafted in F1 reserve driver Jack Aitken as a brand ambassador to lend the car some circuit-based kudos.
Otherwise, the car features the kind of visual attention to detail we’ve seen previously on David Brown Minis. More or less anything can be custom ordered as far as aesthetics inside and out are concerned, though features unique to the Oselli Edition include “60” numerals on the grille (ostensibly celebrating 60 years of the Mini, though it’s technically been 62 years since the first Mini…), LED lighting, and some period-appropriate colours.
Two- or four-seat configurations are available, the former getting a pair of buckets and harnesses and a rear roll cage with a leather hand-trimmed cover. You can specify twin fuel tanks too, trading luggage space for distance. Like other David Brown Minis, the dashboard houses an infotainment screen. Mechanically, you can also opt for an automatic gearbox, but then you get a smaller 1380cc engine.
The company will build a maximum sixty examples, and like its previous Minis, pricing will knock on the door of six figures before options. A lot for a Mini, but a little next to many other restomods.
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