David Brown Automotive is a British
manufacturer
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
of limited edition automobiles in
Silverstone, England, belonging to British businessman David Brown. The company began in Coventry in 2013 and moved to a new 18,000 sq ft dedicated build facility and headquarters at Silverstone Park in April 2017.
The company announced the
Speedback GT, its first production model, in March 2014.
With the unveiling of the vehicle at the Top Marques show in Monaco in April of that same year. Despite sharing a similar background in engineering, and
the same name as the previous owner of
Aston Martin, there is no family connection between the two companies.
Mini Remastered, a modern reinterpretation of a classic
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
, is the company's second model, launched in
Shoreditch,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, on 6 April 2017.
The company showcased Speedback GT at the
Geneva International Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
in 2017, and 2018, alongside two prototypes of Mini Remastered and the newly launched Speedback Silverstone Edition.
Speedback GT
![David Brown Speedback Silverstone Edition Back Genf 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/David_Brown_Speedback_Silverstone_Edition_Back_Genf_2018.jpg)
The
Speedback GT is the first model announced by David Brown Automotive. Launched at the Top Marques Show in Monaco in April 2014, it is the 1960s-inspired Grand Tourer, coachbuilt using the
Jaguar XK
The Jaguar XK is a two-door 2+2 grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1996–2014 in hatchback coupé and convertible bodystyles, across two generations. The XK was introduced at the Ge ...
all-aluminium platform. The entire car is handcrafted using traditional coachbuilding techniques over a period of 8,000 hours, with the aluminium panels being individually hand-rolled on an
English wheel
The English wheel, in Britain also known as a wheeling machine, is a metalworking tool that enables a craftsperson to form compound (double curvature) curves from flat sheets of metal such as aluminium or steel.Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: ...
. The price as of April 2018 is £520,000.00 GBP plus local taxes. The company proudly sources its production to British-based suppliers and builds the cars at their new build facility in Silverstone, UK. The company has announced that they will never produce more than 100 Speedback GTs.
The Speedback GT was designed by former
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited (also known as JLR), and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a ...
designer
Alan Mobberley. The bespoke body of each Speedback GT is produced using traditional coach building methods; the aluminium body panels are hand beaten and then rolled over an
english wheel
The English wheel, in Britain also known as a wheeling machine, is a metalworking tool that enables a craftsperson to form compound (double curvature) curves from flat sheets of metal such as aluminium or steel.Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: ...
. The bucks over which the panels are beaten have been milled out using a 5-axis CNC milling machine from CAD data, obtained from the full-size design clay model.
The powertrain is a 5.0-litre
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 it ...
generating with a six-speed
ZF automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
. It can accelerate from in 4.6 seconds with further performance upgrades available.
At the Geneva International Motor Show in 2017, the Speedback GT was showcased in two specifications, one left-hand and one right-hand drive. These full-production specification examples encompassed over 230 engineering and design refinements from the original Speedback GT prototype, including soft-close door technology, refined interior and exterior fit and finish and enhanced noise insulation.
Speedback Silverstone Edition
Launched on 6 March 2018 at the
Geneva International Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
, the Speedback Silverstone Edition is the third particular edition model made by David Brown behind both the Mini Remastered Café Racers Edition and Monte Carlo Edition.
Limited to 10 examples globally, the Speedback Silverstone Edition is a performance-focused version of the company's first model, the Speedback GT, and celebrates the company's first anniversary of its move to the new Silverstone build facility and headquarters in April 2017.
Taking design inspiration from classic 1960s racing grand tourers and British
jet aircraft of the era, the Speedback Silverstone Edition uses the same traditional
coachbuilding
A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...
techniques to craft its bespoke, streamlined hand-rolled aluminium bodywork as Speedback GT, with enhanced performance characteristics from the 5.0-litre
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 it ...
, developing and of
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
. Updated rear suspension adds further dynamic handling to the model, over the existing set-up from Speedback GT.
Each of the 10 Speedback Silverstone Edition examples will be built to the same specification, with just left-hand and right-hand drive and 2-seater or
2+2 configuration differences.
A bespoke 'Fly by Night' paint finish, applied over 8 weeks is offered on Speedback Silverstone Edition, with a subtle, fading 'Black Night' painted stripe across the length of the body, while the interior cockpit is trimmed in an exclusive 'Antique' tan leather, with brogueing and fluting to the seats, evocative of the 1960s cars and aircraft that the car is inspired by. Premium
Kvadrat Kvadrat may refer to:
* Kvadrat (company), a Danish textile design company
* Kvadrat (shopping centre) in Norway
* ''Kvadrat'' (film), a documentary feature film about the realities of techno DJing
* 2K12 Kub
The 2K12 ''"Kub"'' (russian: 2Ð ...
Remix fabrics and 'Scorched Ebony Macassar' wood veneers are also specified in the interior.
Mini Remastered
![David Brown Mini Remastered Genf 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/David_Brown_Mini_Remastered_Genf_2018.jpg)
Mini Remastered is the second model by David Brown Automotive, and is a remastering of the original
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
, built between 1958 and 2000. Mini Remastered was launched at a private event in Shoreditch, London in April 2017, and made its world motor show debut on 20 April 2017 at the Top Marques Show in Monaco.
Launched in three specifications, Mini Remastered was showcased in standard form, alongside two limited-production special editions: Mini Remastered, Inspired by
Café Racers
''Café Racers'' is the eighth studio album by American singer Kim Carnes, released in October 1983 by EMI.
The album spawned three chart singles in the United States, " Invisible Hands", " You Make My Heart Beat Faster (And That's All That Matt ...
, taking inspiration from the classic 1950s motorbike movement, and Mini Remastered, Inspired by
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
, taking inspiration from the racing heritage of the classic
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
on which the cars are based.
The 1,000-hour process of creating each Mini Remastered begins with an original classic Mini donor vehicle's 1275cc
I4 (A-series) engine and gearbox, fully refurbished and enhanced to deliver up to . An all-new steel body shell is bespoke-made by
British Motor Heritage, which is then coachbuilt and refined by David Brown Automotive. The shell is de-seamed, every panel gap is profiled and panels are
welded
Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as braz ...
together for a uniform shape. Every car goes through a rust-proofing
electrophoretic deposition
Electrophoretic deposition (EPD), is a term for a broad range of industrial processes which includes electrocoating, cathodic electrodeposition, anodic electrodeposition, and electrophoretic coating, or electrophoretic painting. A characteristic ...
'E-coat' process and a 4-week paint process. Customers are able to develop their own bespoke paint finish, or choose a paint finish developed exclusively for David Brown Automotive already.
Interior technology and connectivity are added to Mini Remastered, including
electric power-assisted steering, air conditioning, electric start/stop button,
remote central locking
Remote may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Remote'' (1993 film), a 1993 movie
* ''Remote'' (2004 film), a Tamil-language action drama film
* ''Remote'' (album), a 1988 album by Hue & Cry
* Remote (band), ambient chillout band
* ...
, full
LED lighting and a 7-inch touchscreen
infotainment system with
Apple® CarPlay
CarPlay is an Apple standard which enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and a controller for an iOS device. It is available on all iPhone models beginning with iPhone 5 running iOS 7.1 or later.
According to Apple's website, all m ...
®,
satellite navigation
A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...
,
3G,
4G,
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
® and
DAB connectivity.
Mini Remastered is available globally in both left-hand and right-hand drives.
See also
*
List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
References
External links
*
{{Automotive industry
Car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Car brands
Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2013
2013 establishments in England