Simon Cowell Says His Electric Mini Restomod By David Brown Is The Best Car He's Ever Driven

Oct. 07, 2023 8:04 PM ET byRex Sanchez Electric Vehicles /12 Comments

And the $150,000 bespoke creation comes with an interior inspired by his Rolls-Royce.

David Brown Automotive recentlyunveiled the Mini eMastered restomodthat comes with a sky-high price of £125,000 (about $152,000). One of the first units has made its way to Simon Cowell's garage, which apparently is a dream car for him to own.

"This has always been my dream car. It was on my wish list; one day I wanted to have a classic Mini. Then I read about this company, and I thought, I've got to have one of those," said Cowell.

The renowned music producer and TV star was also impressed with the work done on the Mini eMastered when he visited the factory. Each example is built by hand from the ground up with hundreds of man hours put into it.

The James Bond-inspired example recently delivered to Cowellinitially had a combustion enginebefore he asked David Brown to convert it into an EV. Now, the little Mini gets to move around town emissions and noise-free.

That is made possible with a Zonic 70 electric motor capable of generating 97 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque. It doesn't sound like a lot, but the lightweight body at 1,411 lbs should compensate for it. For the new owner, he doesn't seem to mind at all. He even reiterated the fun of instant torque delivered by EVs, saying "That's the beauty of driving electric."

With a driving range of 110 miles under the more forgiving WLTP standards, the car is on par with a modern-dayMini Cooper Electric Hardtop. It doesn't sound a lot as well but that should be more than enough for urban driving. The firm said it would take three hours to recharge the battery from empty.

Those may sound underwhelming for a six-figure build but it's not all about the electric powertrain. The Mini eMastered is crafted with attention to detail - built to the exact preferences of the owner. While the exterior remains conservative, the interior gets modern amenities, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Cowell said the white leather and walnut trim apes the interior in his Rolls-Royce Phantom.

"David Brown Automotive are so passionate about what they do; they love the cars more than I do, genuinely. That's why this has been so much fun," concluded Cowell.

For her part, David Brown Automotive sales & marketing director Michelle Gay said, "We're delighted to reveal Simon Cowell's car - one of the very first customer examples of our new Mini eMastered - to the world. It's been a real delight to work with Simon, from start to finish, and we're thrilled to have been able to bring his vision for an all-electric, entirely personalized Mini eMastered to life."