Ian Callum's Design Team Is Behind This Reimagined Red-Hot Mini

Car and Driver

6 hours ago

Famed British car designer Ian Callum revealed his design house's newest creation: a rowdy reimagination of the Mk5 Mini Sportspack.
It's built in collaboration with the coachbuilder Wood and Pickett, and overhauls the hatchback with a new suspension and stronger brakes.
The overhauled Mini features a rebuilt 1310 cc rally engine with a new cylinder head, two-point fuel injection, and a custom twin-pipe exhaust.
Throughout his career, Ian Callum has designed a lot of cars. He penned both the Aston Martin DB7 and the Vanquish. His back catalog includes the Jaguar XK, the F-type, and even a road-going version of the C-X75 concept car. Callum's newest design is a collaboration between his eponymous design house and the coachbuilder Wood & Pickett.
Callum Designs
It's aptly named the Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum, and it looks downright rambunctious. Based on the Mk5 Mini Sportsback, the Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum reimagines the pint-sized commuter as a modern hot hatch packed to the gills with character.
The original engine is gone, with a 1310 cc rally engine in its place. The mill now makes 110 brake horsepower. It has a new cylinder head, two-point fuel injection, a custom twin-pipe exhaust, and a reinforced gearbox to handle the extra power.
Callum Designs
Callum Designs
The handling has been retuned to feel like it was engineered by someone who has heard the word "rizz" used in a sentence before, rather than feeling like it came straight from 1990. The original wheels are gone in favor of a four-spoke set of Callum's own design, which measures in at the same 13 inches in diameter. A set of grooved and ventilated 8.4-inch disc brakes hides behind the wheels.
Callum Designs
The styling inside looks like what you'd expect from a firm called "Wood and Pickett." The dashboard features a wooden fascia inspired by walnut panels found in the company's Margrave Mini, built in the 1960s. There are metal fog-light and heater switches, along with metal cupholders and metal instrument gauges. A small touchscreen with Apple CarPlay compatibility brings a more modern feel to the cabin.
Each Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum will be built to the owner's specifications, with pricing for the reimaginations starting just north of $100,000.
Jack Fitzgerald
Associate News Editor
Jack Fitzgerald's love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn't afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. Read full bio