MOTORS Nostalgic motoring in a continuity edition Mini.

THE PRICE OF NOSTALGIA

“Oooh, my first car was a Mini!” I’m sure it was... but I bet it didn’t cost a hundred grand. Nostalgia, it seems, comes at a price, but who could resist a sixties icon updated with 21st century mechanicals? David Brown’s ‘Mini Remastered’ magnum opus is this rally-ready Oselli Edition...

“SVB 240N” says David Brown. That was the number plate of his first car, a Mini. He says it was orange before admitting that most of the orange was probably just rust. Everyone has a similar story. The first car of a greater than average number of motoring enthusiasts was a Mini... it’s no coincidence. When the warmed up Cooper S was launched it sold for £800 (about £16,000 in today’s money), but of course, your first car was probably bruised, battered and much less expensive than that... it certainly wouldn’t have commanded the £17,000 that BMW’s basic ‘Mini’ costs, nor the £118,000 that this recreation, engineered by the aforementioned David Brown, now sells for. A small-volume British maker, David has remastered the Mini with 21st century engineering. The difficulty in doing so is not mechanical, more philosophical. How ‘back to basics’ do you go? How many concessions to modern comfort do you make? He’s judged it well, bringing the Mini just as much up to date as it needs to be, and the standard Mini Remastered is a peach, with a wood steering wheel and sage green hide available. This Oselli edition, though, is the one to go for. Just 60 will be produced, making it rarer. It’s more powerful, too. 1,400 hours are invested in its creation, it sits on dinky 13” Kinetic wheels available in graphite or gold. It comes with rollover cage and in a two or four-seater configuration, with racing seats and harnesses. The car is 140% more powerful than David Brown’s original Mini Remastered, and is lowered, with a unique exhaust, a five speed manual gearbox, high performance braking and Bilstein dampers. The car comes in faithful heritage shades of Carbon Grey or Old English White, and can be paired with striped like the Competition Red ones shown here. The interiors can be highlighted with red, green or blue seatbelts. But would you... should you... spend £118,000 on a Mini, £130,000 for a two seater? Just for motoring fun? Yes. Definitely, yes! n

THE DETAILS Mini Oselli Edition

Price: £118,000 (four seater) £130,000 (two seater, roll cage). Powertrain: 1,450cc A-series engine, 125hp, twin carbs, five speed gearbox. Performance: 0-60mph: 7.8secs. Top speed 100mph. Equipment: Pioneer entertainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB charging, air conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking, limited to just 60 vehicles. n

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