This Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum is one sweet restomod
UK-based bespoke car specialists Wood and Pickett and automotive design and engineering house Callum have joined forces to produce a special restomod Mini.
Built on a restored Mk5 Sportspack body shell for international style icon and automotive enthusiast David Gandy, the Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum incorporates an exclusive design package with unique front/rear valances, side sills and an updated rear design. These not only give the car a distinctive look but also improve aerodynamics and cooling.
Other special touches include distinctive Anthracite metal paint and modern LED headlamp clusters for a dramatically improved night driving experience.
The car rides on special 13" alloy wheels shod with wide performance tyres.
Image: Supplied
The cabin was treated to a comprehensive overhaul, with a newly designed dashboard said to 'blend retro influence with modern precision'. It sports seats upholstered in tartan fabric and tan Bridge of Weir leather, metal fog light and heater switches, a large chrome gear knob and a discreet touchscreen infotainment system that unlocks the convenience of Apple CarPlay.
Under the bonnet is a 1.3 l four-cylinder engine developing 82kW. Built to Stage 3 road/rally specification, it features a retuned ECU, performance cylinder head and twin-point fuel injection. Exhaling through a fruity twin-exit exhaust system, it's meshed to a re-engineered manual transmission for snappier shifting up and down the cogs.
Handling has been finessed with a road tuned suspension kit, 13" alloy wheels shod with wider tyres and upgraded brakes featuring vented/grooved 213mm discs. The car's noise, vibration and harshness has also been updated for increased refinement.
Each Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum is hand-built in the UK and offered in a limited production run, starting at £75,000 (R1.8m). No two builds are alike, with each customer able to collaborate closely with Callum's design team to create a Mini that reflects their individual vision.
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TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- TimesLIVE
This Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum is one sweet restomod
UK-based bespoke car specialists Wood and Pickett and automotive design and engineering house Callum have joined forces to produce a special restomod Mini. Built on a restored Mk5 Sportspack body shell for international style icon and automotive enthusiast David Gandy, the Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum incorporates an exclusive design package with unique front/rear valances, side sills and an updated rear design. These not only give the car a distinctive look but also improve aerodynamics and cooling. Other special touches include distinctive Anthracite metal paint and modern LED headlamp clusters for a dramatically improved night driving experience. The car rides on special 13" alloy wheels shod with wide performance tyres. Image: Supplied The cabin was treated to a comprehensive overhaul, with a newly designed dashboard said to 'blend retro influence with modern precision'. It sports seats upholstered in tartan fabric and tan Bridge of Weir leather, metal fog light and heater switches, a large chrome gear knob and a discreet touchscreen infotainment system that unlocks the convenience of Apple CarPlay. Under the bonnet is a 1.3 l four-cylinder engine developing 82kW. Built to Stage 3 road/rally specification, it features a retuned ECU, performance cylinder head and twin-point fuel injection. Exhaling through a fruity twin-exit exhaust system, it's meshed to a re-engineered manual transmission for snappier shifting up and down the cogs. Handling has been finessed with a road tuned suspension kit, 13" alloy wheels shod with wider tyres and upgraded brakes featuring vented/grooved 213mm discs. The car's noise, vibration and harshness has also been updated for increased refinement. Each Wood and Pickett Mini by Callum is hand-built in the UK and offered in a limited production run, starting at £75,000 (R1.8m). No two builds are alike, with each customer able to collaborate closely with Callum's design team to create a Mini that reflects their individual vision.
IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Driving impressions: the Mini Aceman combines classic design with cutting-edge electric performance
In the Mini hierarchy the Aceman sits between the Cooper and the Countryman and is the result of a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors. Image: Supplied When Sir Alec Issigonis famously first sketched a small car on a napkin, little did he know how popular the Mini would become, and he definitely didn't have a clue what an Electric Vehicle was either. Fast forward 65 years or so, and you struggle to read a vehicle review without the words New Energy Vehicle (NEV). Not so small This is one of those reviews, and it is the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Mini Aceman. In the Mini hierarchy, the Aceman sits between the Cooper and the Countryman and is the result of a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors using the Spotlight EV architecture. It's also not a small car by the original brief, standing at just over four metres long with a boot capacity of 300 litres that expands to 1,005 litres with the rear seats folded, while front headroom is said to be 1,003mm and rear 958mm. Power There are two variants of the Aceman: the E and the one we had on test, the SE. With a permanent magnet synchronous motor coupled with a 54.2kWh lithium-ion battery, it produces 160kW and 330Nm and is good for a 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds. It will accommodate DC charging of up to 95kW, which should take about 30 minutes to get from 10-80% and an AC charge of five hours and 50 minutes from 0-100%. Fully charged, Mini says it should have a range of 400km, but in the real world, depending on how you drive, it's closer to 330 km. Exterior There's still no denying that it very much still has the mini design DNA with a combination of sculptured lines and angular surfaces, bug-eye LED headlights, and in this case, roof rails, front and rear skidplates and all-round black plastic cladding appealing to its SUV-type appeal. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Roof rails, front and rear skidplates and all round black plastic cladding gives the Mini Aceman an SUV-type appeal. Image: Supplied Interior The interior also maintains its quirky style and design. It's one of the more unique interiors in an almost same-same big screen-dominated interiors. Continuing its homage to the original Mini, the Aceman's centrepiece is the round 9.4-inch infotainment system running on their Operating 9 system. The display is easy to use and quick to respond with clear graphics. The 'floating' door handles are unique to the Aceman, and they've used several different recycled materials with bold accents on the dash and other trim to keep it fun and vibrant. Like I said, it's unlike anything else out there. The remodelled toggle bar has a proper tactile feel to it and allows you to switch between eight driving modes that include Core, Personal, Vivid, Green, Timeless, Balance, Trail and Go-Cart, which enhances throttle response. Each mode has its own unique sound, with Go-Cart providing a 'whoohoo' voice when selected. Using Green Mode and driving gently over the week, the screen said I had managed to save 20 kilometres, which is quickly gobbled up when you switch to Go-Cart. Driving As with the entire Mini range, they're always fun to drive with keen handling and precise steering, and the Aceman is no different. It's rather brisk on take-off, but not as gut-wrenching as some other EVs, and that's a good thing because I think the novelty of the immediate torque jettisoning you forward is starting to wear off. Thanks to the fairly low centre of gravity, it sits rather well around sharp corners, while stomping on the accelerator quickly takes care of slower traffic. The ride is rather firm, which does make driving over badly maintained tar and even smooth gravel roads a bit uncomfortable. When pressed hard in Go-Cart Mode, there's a motorsport-inspired sound piped into the cabin, which I found intrusive. On the other hand, my son, in his early twenties, provided a different perspective, saying that it's a modern, fun electric car aimed at non-grumpy people, unlike his father apparently. Fitted with lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control, highway driving is completely effortless. The Aceman's centrepiece is the round 9.4-inch infotainment system running on their Operating 9 system. Image: Supplied Different point of view There was also an interesting conversation I had with a lady that clearly knows her stuff, while charging at a 150kW charging point at a shopping centre close to where I stay. It was her first look at the Aceman, and she was impressed with how it looked and the interior setup. Her biggest issue was range anxiety, not so much around town with her kids, but more so over long distances. She knew that South Africa has a fairly good charging infrastructure, but the usual loadshedding, having to wait while it's charging, and all the other what-ifs came up, as it always does. She baulked at the R892 000 price tag and said that she would rather spend less money on something similar, like the Mini Countryman (R810,774) or, as a BMW fan, a BMW X1 or X2 and not have to concern herself about EV challenges. She's not wrong. The Mini Aceman is a decent overall package, but is a city-centric car and definitely aimed at a niche buyer looking for something different in the EV shopping cart while still having the characteristic Mini look and feel.
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3 days ago
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France orders extra 800,000 cars off the road over Takata airbag scandal
France is ordering an extra 800,000 cars with Takata airbags to be taken off the road, two weeks after a woman died in the northeastern town of Reims from injuries related to a faulty airbag. The move is the latest twist in the auto industry's biggest-ever product recall, eight years after the company at the centre of the crisis — Japan's Takata Corp — filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Japan. After her 2014 Citroën C3 was hit by a truck, the woman in Reims died when she was struck by a metal piece expelled by an airbag ejected from her car, the Reims prosecutor's office said. Citing the incident, French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said on Tuesday that all cars with the technology should be recalled, no matter how old they were. He also ordered all manufacturers to tell drivers in Corsica and other overseas departments to stop driving vehicles with the Takata airbags, whatever their production year, until they are repaired, and issued the same order for all cars with such equipment produced until 2011 in mainland France. The government had previously said vehicles built between 1998 and 2019, from 30 brands, could potentially be recalled. According to a ministry estimate based on carmaker data, the expanded recall will bring the total to 2.5-million. Within that total, the ministry has doubled the number of compulsory recalls — so-called 'stop drive' orders — to 1.7-million. French government spokesperson Sophie Primas said on Wednesday the expanded recall was being undertaken 'out of an abundance of caution'. Takata, which was mainly acquired by a Chinese-owned, US-based company, said at the time of its bankruptcy filing that it had recalled or expected to recall about 125-million vehicles worldwide by 2019.
