New David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered Oselli Edition review

David Brown Automotive’s standard issue Mini Remastered is a classic Mini in which every component has been made a little bit better, but this Oselli Edition takes that mantra to the extreme, mixing DBA’s pathological approach to build quality with sweet, grippy handling and impressive straight-line speed for a car from this era. It’s a wonderfully analogue experience that’s bursting with character, and one you can’t get from almost any other new car on sale today. The David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered Oselli Edition might be a bit of a strange one for you. In fact, it might not really make financial sense unless the rest of the cars in your garage have either Bentley or Aston Martin badges fixed to their bonnets. It’s an even more expensive, limited-edition version of the already pricey Mini Remastered, which puts performance and handling ahead of styling and luxury. But the formula has worked, and this is one of the best road-going restomods (a growing trend that sees classic models restored and remastered for the modern world) on sale today - even if it is priced from £98,000. Yes, you can buy much faster classic Minis, but many are designed for historic motorsport. Few offer the same breath of ability in the real world, and most would be far outside of their comfort zone when trying to tackle Britain’s rough roads. We’ll start with the Oselli Edition’s engine. It’s an extensively modified version of the big-block A-Series unit the Mini was originally delivered with, which has been bored out from 1,275cc to 1,450cc and then built with many enticing performance parts – including a pair of delightfully responsive SU carburettors. The result is 123bhp and 153Nm of torque, which is plenty when you consider the car only weighs around 700kg. A racier camshaft also means that the engine doesn’t fully get into its stride until 3,000rpm, after which the engine revs hungrily. So, unlike most old Minis, you need to keep a watchful eye on the speedo.

Added 9 Aug 2026