Former Jaguar designer Ian Callum’s design house has partnered with renowned Mini coachbuilder Wood & Pickett to reimagine the city car as a hot hatch fitted with modern technology. It is based on the bodyshell of the Mk5 Mini Sportspack – the wide-arched version built from 1997-2001, at the end of the model’s production run – but is overhauled with a rally-spec engine, a new suspension set-up and uprated brakes. It is powered by a 1310cc engine fitted with a new cylinder head, two-point fuel injection and a custom twin-pipe exhaust.
Styling tweaks include the fitment of Wood & Pickett’s wide arches, sportier front and rear bumpers and LED lights. Inside, it gets a wooden dashboard fascia, metal foglight and heater switches, and a small touchscreen with Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. Each of the Callum and Wood & Pickett Minis will be hand-built to their owner’s exacting specifications.
