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David Brown Automotive remasters classic Mini at maxi price

Just days ago, we reported that the British small-scale maker of luxurious, Aston Martin inspired coupes, David Brown Automotive, was about to introduce a new, cheaper vehicle positioned under its exquisitely priced Speedback GT model. Since the Jaguar-based Speedback GT costs a significant $753,000, there's quite a bit of room underneath it to introduce a more modest means of transport, without cheapening out. Now, details of the car, dubbed "Project 2," have surfaced, and it's quite a surprise. What David Brown Automotive has come up with is a "remastered," rethought classic Mini. While the car looks just like a Mini at a passing glance, the body panels along with the chassis are new, and the car has been given a smoothening. All the body seams that were commonplace on the classic original have been rounded off, and the interior is a custom job complete with plentiful leather and Pioneer touchscreen. The new dashboard is a little closer to Japanese retro cars than either the classic Mini or the current, BMW-made equivalent. The drivetrain remains the trusted 1,275cc original along with a four-speed gearbox; both are reconditioned units instead of box-fresh ones, but they feature brand-new parts. There's 79 horsepower on offer, which is plenty of poke for a Mini. Each of the cars will take about 1,000 hours to make, by hand. The plan is to build 100-200 of these Mini re-creations per year, at David Brown's new facility in Silverstone, England. In two years, only 11 Speedbacks have been built, so the Mini should create a bit more buzz at the workshop. But the price? Starting from $62,000 at current rates, going all the way to $86,000 if you want one with all the trimmings. A lot for a Mini, but it's going to be special. Related Video:

Mini Clubman Bond Street inspired by London shopping

Mini again plucks a London landmark as the appellation for a special edition, the Mini Clubman Bond Street joining the Mayfair and Camden, and Bayswater and Baker Street editions of the recent past. You'll recognize the formula of primary color and polished contrasting color, in this case its Midnight Black Metallic for the main event and Cool Champagne for the highlights like the roof, mirror caps and trim rings on the 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside it's Carbon Black leather set off by surfaces in Deep Champagne and the Chrome Line package.
It will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going into production for a limited run that same month. Four engines will be offered, with on-the-road prices ranging from 20,275 pounds ($31,961 US) in the UK for the 122-horsepower gas engine to 24,045 pounds ($37,918 US) for the 143-horsepower SD diesel version. A press release below will tell you all you wish to know.

Mini Vision Next 100 concept invokes an alternate universe

Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the 1959 Mini, would probably find Mini's new Vision Next 100 concept amusing. The original Mini was largely an exercise in efficient packaging and clever engineering. That it was handsome, and became iconic, was more a product of its wild success than an intentional product of its exterior styling. While the Mini concept is undoubtedly cleverly packaged, it's almost purely a styling exercise, no matter what sort of futuristic connected/autonomous functionality Mini says it'll have. Mini doesn't seem able to move past the Mini as a caricature of itself. The heavy, floating roof, the vestigial round and friendly "headlamps", the oversized gauge pod. This seems very German, the inability to communicate essential brand attributes without using cliches. Mini is in a styling rut, trying to evolve the same basic styling language with each new generation, stretching it over larger hard points. The Vision Next 100 program would have been a great time to communicate to the public that Mini is more than just styling tropes: it's an attitude, a way of thinking, a connectedness to the driver. More than a badge or bug-eyed headlights. To its credit, the interior is massively decluttered. That's in part to the rear-engine layout, but more on that in a follow-up piece. The comparatively vast footwell and ultra-minimalist dash pair well with the giant windscreen. It feels light, airy, and authentic to the ideals of the originally Mini in terms of space efficiency, without being overly sentimental. Futurism is a thankless profession, and we can't take this concept literally as a vision of what the brand will be in 100 years. We can say this: it doesn't seem that Mini will be able to transcend the styling tropes that currently define Mini. Let's hope they find a way out of their rut. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Vision Next 100 Concept View 38 Photos Design/Style BMW MINI Coupe Hatchback Concept Cars Future Vehicles vision next 100