Callum and Wood & Pickett Reimagine the Classic Mini with £75,000 Coachbuilt Precision

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Famed Design Ian Callum and renowned coahbuilder Wood & Pickett are reimagining the classic Mini as a £75,000/$125,000 Singer like retro-build.

When news first broke of Callum’s collaboration with the revived Wood & Pickett name, it raised both eyebrows and expectations. After all, Callum is the mind behind the Aston Martin DB9 and Jaguar F-Type, and Wood & Pickett is deeply woven into the Mini’s golden era—the go-to coachbuilder for London’s elite in the ’60s and ’70s. But reinterpreting a 66-year-old automotive icon is a tightrope walk, especially in a market flooded with overcooked, overbuilt restomods. Thankfully, Callum and his 36-strong team have resisted the urge to shout. Instead, they’ve chosen to whisper—with precision, elegance, and just the right amount of power.

The “Wood & Pickett Mini by Callum” begins life as a Mk5 Sportspack (1997–2001), which is then stripped and rebuilt with exacting detail. Under the bonnet, a 1.3-liter A-Series engine has been bored out to 1,310cc, fitted with a Stage 3 aluminum big-valve head, twin-point injection, and a twin-exit exhaust. Output climbs to a healthy 100–110 bhp—more than enough, as Callum notes, for a Mini. A new five-speed transmission, tuned final drive, ventilated disc brakes, and Hi-Lo adjustable suspension bring the dynamics into modern territory without overwhelming the car’s original spirit.

Visually, it’s an exercise in tasteful restraint. Extended wheel arches and subtle valances connect via new sills. Boxy LED rear lamps modernize without erasing character, and crucially—mercifully—the seams are still intact. “We won’t de-seam,” Callum says. “It adds weight, takes away character, and a significant part of the Mini’s strength is in those seams.” It’s a subtle but crucial nod to authenticity, especially in a space often guilty of over-sanitizing what made the Mini brilliant to begin with.

The lowered stance rides on unique 6J wheels wrapped in 175-section tyres, backed by a bespoke camber kit and power steering. These aren’t cartoonish upgrades—they’re precise, functional, and refreshingly aware of the Mini’s physical limitations and aesthetic boundaries.

Inside, the cabin is both a time machine and a triumph of modern craftsmanship. Tan Bridge of Weir leather, a redesigned wood-trimmed dash, and metal toggle switches revive the original Margrave ethos, while a compact touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay ensure the experience doesn’t feel stuck in 1973. Yes, there are even cup holders—a practical nod from Callum, who jokes, “at least you can see the instruments now.”

The first customer car belongs to David Gandy, model and longtime Mini enthusiast. At 6’3”, Gandy required some ergonomic finessing to fit, but the process, he says, was like tailoring a Savile Row suit. The bronze paint, a nod to Steve McQueen’s classic Cooper, gives the car its signature look. “You know it’s a Mini, but it’s clearly reimagined,” Gandy says. “There’s the greatness of the Mini, but just improving on every aspect of it. I’m in love with it already.”

What makes this project especially meaningful is its direct connection to a coachbuilt legacy. In the 1960s, Wood & Pickett squared off with Radford for the hearts—and wallets—of London’s elite. From Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland to Enzo Ferrari and The Beatles, the list of Mini clients reads like a social register. The original Margrave Mini was a status symbol in a 10-foot package, and while today’s version carries a £75,000 starting price, that’s not outrageous in a world where bespoke anything is pushing six figures. And it’s already proven viable—ten builds have been sold, with more likely on the way.

But beyond price or spec sheets, the Callum x Wood & Pickett Mini taps into something older and deeper: the Mini as a blank canvas for individual expression. From its earliest days, owners hacked, tuned, painted, and rebuilt these cars to make them theirs. Callum’s reinterpretation is just the latest, and perhaps one of the most considered, evolutions of that idea.

Whether this car is a love letter to Mini culture, a design exercise, or a luxury object is almost beside the point. It’s a reminder that even in an era of digitized performance and AI-tuned everything, there’s still value in hand-built charm, analog feel, and properly stitched leather seats. And as far as restomods go, this one might just be the benchmark—not because it’s loud, but because it knows when to whisper.

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