Everything old is new again. Certainly in Britain, where the country?s forthcoming Brexit from the European Union seems to have resulted in a dramatic spike in automotive nostalgia. We?ve already told you about Jaguar Land Rover?s plans to create Reborn factory restomod versions of various vehicles, most recently the Jaguar E-type. And now a smaller outfit, David Brown Automotive, is getting in on the act with a version of the original Mini.
The Mini Remastered will be based on the Issigonis-designed pre-BMW classic made by the now defunct Rover Group and its predecessors between 1959 and 2000. We?re told that the Remastered Minis will use original VINs but will get new body shells and panels and will feature such unlikely additions as a touchscreen interface, new controls, a keyless ignition, and retrimmed cabins.
The mechanical changes are considerably more modest, with the Remastered Minis sticking with a modestly reworked version of the pushrod A-series engine, producing about 77 horsepower in basic tune and up to 97 in the hopped-up Inspired by Monte Carlo edition. All Remastered Minis will stick with the original?s sump-mounted four-speed manual gearbox, despite the fact that aftermarket five-speed conversions have been around for decades. Probably a good thing that extra sound deadening is included, too.
If you?re thinking that means another restomod that?s more about show than go, you?re probably right. The new body shells are “deseamed,” without the ...