More fun
If you have the feeling, oh, Oselli, doesn’t ring a bell, a famous racing driver or what, we can reassure you. Firstly, there is no Mr. Oselli, because secondly, it is a company that has been around since 1960. And thirdly, Oselli is known almost only to insiders, but to them as probably the world’s best specialists for BMC A-Series engines (and Aston Martin restorations, and MG tuning, and…). What do you mean by specialists here? Actually, they have reinvented the engine, which is now 71 years old in its origins, and brought it to a technical level that it never had before and could not have had before for various reasons. One of these reasons: the wonderful Mini, designed by the ingenious Sir Alec Issigonis, remained a crutch throughout its long life (1959 to 2000); there were problems everywhere, especially with the quality of workmanship. And that brings us right into the middle of this story.
David Brown, not the one who once rescued Lagonda and Aston Martin and also put them back on the ground, David Brown Automotive entered the automotive industry in 2014 with its Speedback GT (which continues to be built, 3 to 4 examples are produced annually). In 2017, DBA decided to reinvent the Mini. To finally give it all the love that such a great little car had never received. It was called Remastered – and just like with his Speedback at the beginning, DBA was only wearily smiled at. Who would spend an unbelievable 75,000 pounds for a mundane Mini, at least? But the thing hit like a bomb, in 2018 David Brown Automotive was allowed to move into a very spacious new building in Silverstone – and the problem today is to find enough so-called “doughnut cars” that can be transformed into remastered ones. The DBA-Mini are not new cars, they have the chassis number of an existing Mini and therefore do not need a new homologation, so they can be put into circulation in Switzerland (and soon also in the USA, which will then bring DBA to the limits of its capacity).
Which brings us back to Oselli, who supply all the engines for the Remastered. There are two versions, 1275 cc with 75 hp, 1330 cc with 93 hp; both versions can be coupled with a 4-speed automatic, but the manual versions are more fun, 4 or 5 gears on request. At Oselli, every engine is rebuilt from scratch, and the quality is said to be excellent. Also in the long term.
In 2018, DBA and Oselli started to think about what else would be possible with this engine, and Oselli was asked to present his wildest dreams. The suggestion: 1450 cc, two SU carburettors, 125 hp. The Oselli Edition was born, and it was presented in 2019. But then Covid came along, DBA was also hit hard, it was only last autumn that the first copies of the edition, limited to 60 units, could be delivered. Needless to say, all the Oselli have already been sold, although the price of £100,000 and up seems rather absurd.
Even a remastered one is a wonderful vehicle. Completely new bodywork with gap dimensions that even Ferdinand Piëch would have enjoyed. A completely new interior, entirely according to the wishes of the first owner, just about anything is possible, leather, cage, expensive sound systems; standard features include a permanently installed display with Apple Car Play, new dashboards (some with digital displays), rather comfortable seats. Even with the 75 hp, the thing goes splendidly; after all, it only needs to move about 750 kilos. Yes, that’s about 100 kilos more than in the originals.
The Oselli is then of a completely different calibre, in every respect. DBA may emphasise that two souls live in its chest, that it should also be suitable for everyday use. Well, he knows how to hide it well: below 3000 rpm, there’s pretty much nothing going on, the SU carburettors keep choking, it’s a rather nasty jerking. But when the fuel starts flowing, the engine revs up, then it gets really funny. And very, very loud. How DBA manages to get it through the controls that surely exist in England is a mystery. But it’s a nice one.
The little one (3.05 metres short) with its extremely short wheelbase (2.04 metres) doesn’t feel like it’s going a metre straight. Well, you know these B-roads in England, there is certainly better quality, but with the small wheels and the short wheelbase and the merciless harshness, it sometimes becomes quite adventurous – the Oselli finds every hole, every rut, follows it mercilessly. You are constantly tugging at the small steering wheel, not a second goes by that you have peace. But that’s a good thing, because the driver remains alert and doesn’t even think of fiddling with the mobile phone or reprogramming the radio stations. Finally, a car where everything is in the hands of the driver.
And the Oselli handles really well, very, very well. In a roundabout, you’re already in the lead, so when you come out of the roundabout you’re already in front anyway, then you turn it into the limiter in 2nd, 3rd gear – and then there’s no one in the rear-view mirror. Maybe the competitors are also scared because the Mini is so loud. Or maybe they simply collapsed out of sheer awe of the dwarf. Then you whip it around the bends with millimetre precision, often feeling like you’re on only two wheels (in front it sometimes gets very light on the inside wheel of the bend, typical Mini). And it’s just good, we haven’t had so much fun in a car for a long time – although of course you’re nowhere near as fast as in a current sports car. But much happier. Self-determined. Not under the control of any electronics, which are needed to keep the insane horsepower numbers in check.
The gearbox is great, the gearshifts over the long stick are a bit long, but that’s fine, you have to shift down with intermediate throttle (just for the noise), so you need a bit more time. The brakes can be rough (then, typical Mini, it becomes very light in the rear), you juggle between all these tasks, hard on the steering wheel, powerful on the gear lever, the dance on the pedals, and after an hour on the back roads you are drenched in sweat. And simply: happy. You almost can’t get rid of the grin on your face.
Whether it’s all worth the money: somehow it is. Yes, they are excellently manufactured, these remastered minis, everything really fits, certainly also in the long run. But above all, the driving pleasure is on a level that no current super sports car can offer. Hard work, a lot of noise, a driving behaviour that makes you realise right from the first gentle bend whether you’re just a straight-ahead downer or a friend of joyful cornering dynamics. Yes, we like to belong to the latter.
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