The classic Mini turned into a £75,000 hot hatch - and the first model built has been sold to... a model
The classic Mini has been turned into a luxury-grade hot hatch with a staggering price tag - and the first hand-built example has already been delivered to an extremely well-known face... and body.
Car designer Ian Callum - the man who's penned some of the greatest modern-era British models, including the Aston Martin DB9 and Vanquish, Jaguar XJ and F-Type, and Ford's RS200 and Escort Cosworth - has teamed up with renowned coachbuilder Wood & Pickett to produce a limited run of custom-made Minis.
The Wood & Pickett Mini by Callum Mini takes the last of the run of original Minis - produced up to 2021, before BMW launched the new, not-so-mini Mini - and has turned it into a modern-era performance car crammed with upgrades and tech.
The engine and chassis have been completely overhauled, while the legendary vintage interior has been bestowed with a premium interior and a dashboard digital display.
The cost for one of these bespoke motors is an eye-watering £75,000 - more than seven times the price at the turn of the Millennium.
Who would fork out that amount of money on a Mini, you ask? Well, the first customer is confirmed - and you might well know him from various TV and billboard adverts...
The classic Mini has been turned into a luxury-grade hot hatch with a staggering price tag as part of a new collaboration between legendary car design Ian Callum CBE and coachbuilding specialist Wood & Pickett
Model, David Gandy, has taken delivery of the first Wood & Pickett Mini by Callum Mini.
The self-confessed petrolhead is a classic British car enthusiast and brand ambassador for Jaguar. He even commissioned a full restoration of a 1965 XK120, which is now part of his collection.
While his latest purchase has a heritage dating back to 1959, it is based on more modern iteration of the classic Mini.
It is a modified version of the Mk5 Mini Sportspack - the last of the true Minis.
This was the wide-arched version of the old-style car produced between 1997 and 2001 by Rover Group, before BMW's takeover of the Mini brand.
At the end of its production run, a Cooper was just under £10,000 - meaning this new 'restomod' (a restored and modified take on a classic car) is more than seven times the price of the vehicle on which it is based.
But while it captures the legendary shape and characterful look of the original, this upgraded version certainly won't drive like a car built in the late 1990s.
That's because it's been overhauled with a rally-spec engine, uprated suspension and more powerful brakes.
The A-Series engine capacity has been upgraded from the Cooper's 1,275cc to 1.310cc. It also has a new cylinder head, two-point fuel injection and a custom twin-pipe exhaust.
The performance tweaks have resulted in a 75 per cent increase in potency, with the engine generating 110bhp, up from the standard output of 63bhp.
Given its kerb weight of around 700kg, that's a notable increase in power.
To cope with the additional grunt fed through the transmission, the gearbox has also been strengthened.
While each car made will be different on exacting specification requested by the client, Gandy's restomod Mini has a revised front and rear valances, side sills and an updated rear design. The wheel arches are fatter, too.
While this gives the Mini a wider stance, the adjustments aren't just to make it 'visually distinctive' but 'engineered for improved aerodynamics and cooling'.
The lights have also been brought into the 21st century with LEDs front and rear in period-correct housings that are sympathetic to the iconic Mini's original design.
On the inside, it gets a wooden dashboard fascia inspired by the walnut panels fitted to Wood & Pickett's Margrave Mini in the 1960s. The switchgear is heavy duty metal toggles, and a small touchscreen with Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring has been installed.
Ian Callum CBE said: 'The Mini is one of the most important cars ever created not just for its innovative engineering, but for what it represents culturally as a symbol of British ingenuity and style.
'It's a car that broke the rules and became a global icon. To reimagine it through the lens of Callum, with Wood & Pickett's craftsmanship, has been deeply rewarding.'
For Wood & Pickett, it's a long-awaited return to the fore, with the company - founded in 1947 by Bill Wood and Les Pickett - renowned in the sixties for commissioning Minis for celebrity owners including Elton John, Mick Jagger, and Paul and Linda McCartney.
Having formerly been owned by British Leyland dealer the Henlys Group in the eighties, it is now in the hands of Motaclan - the firm that owns the former MG Rover parts division.
Gandy - who has fronted campaigns for fashion giants including Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana and Carolina Herrera, as well as high-street chains including Marks & Spencer, H&M and Zara - is said to have worked directly with the design team to tailor every aspect of his Mini.
This includes the painstaking process of deciding the paint colour and interior trims.
He said it 'embodies everything I love about automotive craftsmanship, bespoke, attention to detail, and, of course, performance'.
He added: 'I'm proud to be the first owner of such a remarkable vehicle.'
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