Fwd 2dr Mini Paceman Low Miles Coupe Manual Gasoline 1.6l 4 Cyl Royal Gry Met on 2040-cars

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David Brown's most powerful Mini Remastered has racing in its genes

David Brown Automotive detailed its latest Remastered build, which explores the Mini's vast racing heritage. Created jointly with Oselli, the resto-modded city car gains a more powerful engine, a long list of updates that racers in the 1960s could only dream of, and a handful of styling tweaks that set it apart from an unmodified Mini. Most of David Brown's builds have focused on adding luxury, comfort, and convenience to one of England's best-known cars. With decades of experience in building race cars, Oselli brings a healthy dose of performance. The transformation starts under the hood, where power comes from a twin-carbureted, 1.5-liter four-cylinder tuned to develop 125 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. David Brown quotes a 7.8-second sprint to 62 mph. Context is useful: the original Mini retired in 2000 with a fuel-injected, 1.3-liter version of this engine (called A Series) rated at 62 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque. Many examples built in the 1960s and the 1970s got an 848cc four rated at a measly 34 horsepower, and the modern-day Hardtop's entry-level engine is a 1.5-liter turbocharged triple that puts 134 horses under the driver's right foot. Put another way, 125 is a lot of horsepower for an old Mini. Oselli dropped the 1.5-liter engine on top of (and not next to; it's one of the Mini's quirks) a redesigned five-speed manual transmission that spins the front wheels. AP Racing four-piston front brake calipers and aluminum rear drums keep the power in check, while Bilstein struts amplify the go-kart like handling the old Mini is known for. Subtlety isn't part of the Oselli's vocabulary. Its free-flowing exhaust system makes it louder than a standard Mini, and it turns heads with black exterior accents, racing stripes, LED headlights, and a mesh grille with integrated driving lights. 13-inch alloy wheels come standard; they're available in either graphite or gold. Inside, David Brown added sport seats for the front passengers, an Alcantara-upholstered Sabelt steering wheel, and a Pioneer infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity. Power steering, USB ports, air conditioning (which, oddly, blows through vents that look like they're from a Mercedes-Benz), and power-operated windows are standard.  David Brown will make only 60 numbered units of the Oselli Edition, and deliveries are scheduled to start in early 2022.

2025 Mini Aceman previewed as the brand's first standalone EV

Mini's first standalone electric model, the Aceman, will make its debut in the coming months. It was developed to fill the gap between the Cooper and the Countryman, and photos of a camouflaged prototype give us a better idea of what to expect when it lands in showrooms. If the name Aceman rings a bell, it's likely because Mini introduced it on a concept unveiled in 2022 and designed to preview the production model. The pictures suggest that the crossover hasn't changed much over the past two years: while the brand tweaked some of the design details, including the headlights, the front bumper, and the door mirrors, the overall proportions remain roughly the same. The funky-looking trim on the wheel arches carries over as well, though it looks like the EV lost ground clearance as it transitioned to a production model. Mini stresses that the Aceman will be all-electric, all the time; it won't be available with a gasoline-burning engine. It stretches about 160 inches long, 69 inches wide and 59 inches tall, meaning it's around 14 inches shorter, three inches narrower and six inches lower than the new second-generation Countryman. It's built on a 54.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, but additional specifications aren't available. Somewhat tellingly, the aforementioned dimensions make the Aceman about the same size as the original Countryman launched in 2010. This likely explains what Mini had in mind when it made the new model much bigger than its predecessor; it carved out space for the EV. There's no word yet on precisely when the Aceman will lose its psychedelic camouflage and show its sheet metal; Mini notes that the unveiling will take place "in just a few months." While nothing is official yet, we wouldn't be surprised if the model lands in showrooms later in 2024 as a 2025 model. Details such as pricing, driving range, and where production will take place will emerge in the not-too-distant future. Related video:

2013 Mini John Cooper Works

Location, Location, Location
Back in February, Mini invited me to come try out its brand-new Paceman coupe-crossover-hatchback thing in Puerto Rico, and not long after, I spit out a Quick Spin detailing my impressions of the little-big two-door. But here's what I didn't tell you: Mini also let me loose on those fine, curvaceous, tropical roads in its hottest hatch, the John Cooper Works GP. And while that behind-the-wheel gigglefest would have no doubt made for a story laden with positive notes and warm regards, the truth is, I only drove it for 15 minutes, so I couldn't in good conscience offer much of a story to you. (European Editor Matt Davis also got a short stint behind the wheel of the GP late last year.)
So for the sake of due diligence, I buckled down and spent a full eight days with the JCW GP back home in Detroit, just as springtime was starting to stick here in southeast Michigan. But after my time with the Mini, I was wishing that I could have just been left with my GP memories from Puerto Rico, where I was pushing the little hotbox hard around smooth corners and flexing every one of its muscles to eke out the full JCW GP experience in only a short timeframe.