Press kit

Dakar Mini

Press kit: Story, photos and video of the Dakar Mini. Free for editorial use with credit.

01Story

This BrooksPack is our take on a MPi mini with the Mk1/Mk2 Mini looks. A restomod that respects where it comes from, but reimagines it into something that works today while still feeling right from every angle.

For us it’s about keeping that OEM MPi foundation, and layering it with classic Mini character where it belongs. Taking the best bits from everything around us, and combining them to create what we see as a refined version of the Mini MPi.

A dark green mini classic car parked on an elevated highway with a city skyline visible in the background under overcast skies.

THE CAR

•Year: 1998, recently imported from Italy
•Engine: 1275cc Multi-Point-Injection (MPi)
•Interior: Balmoral Stone Beige seating, dark green NOS carpet and a colour matching dashboard. Anodised and CNC cutted aluminium door handles on cream leather. Nardi steering wheel with a wooden gearknob and a Carplay integrated radio
•Exterior: British Racing Green with 13" rims and color matching striping. Lower front skirt fitted at the front with a Maniflow Twin pipe exhaust and a stainless fog and reverse lights on the rear. At the front we find two big spotlights controlled by the main beam. For the summer days we have an electric Webasto roof

•Year: 1998, recently imported from Italy
•Engine: 1275cc Multi-Point-Injection (MPi)
•Interior: Balmoral Stone Beige seating, dark green NOS carpet and a colour matching dashboard. Anodised and CNC cutted aluminium door handles on cream leather. Nardi steering wheel with a wooden gearknob and a Carplay integrated radio
•Exterior: British Racing Green with 13" rims and color matching striping. Lower front skirt fitted at the front with a Maniflow Twin pipe exhaust and a stainless fog and reverse lights on the rear. At the front we find two big spotlights controlled by the main beam. For the summer days we have an electric Webasto roof

The BrooksPack takes clear inspiration from Mk1 and Mk2 Minis, applied onto an MPi base. At the front we find a Mk1-style grille, chrome surrounded blinkers and a classic Morris badge, bringing back that clean and simple Mini face.

At the rear, Mk2-style lights give a slightly more simplified finish, while the boot lid is reshaped back towards a Mk1 look, cleaning up the rear and bringing the classic Mini style back into place.

Chrome wipers and bullet mirrors finish the exterior details, small touches that add to the classic feel without overdoing it. Everything works together to keep that balance between classic Mini design and the MPi base underneath.

At the rear, Mk2-style lights give a slightly more simplified finish, while the boot lid is reshaped back towards a Mk1 look, cleaning up the rear and bringing the classic Mini style back into place.

Inside we find a painted dashboard with white clocks, a wooden NARDI steering wheel and a MOMO gear knob, combining classic feel with a more focused driving layout. A CarPlay radio adds modern usability without disturbing the original character, alongside aluminium CNC-machined door handles and that beautiful Balmoral Stone Beige interior.

The floors are finished with one of the last NOS carpets from England in a slightly darker green, adding depth and contrast to the cabin. The roofliner is trimmed in black, with a clean cutout for the electric folding sunroof.

Finished in BMW Farngruen Metallic, the car has a deep, rich presence that shifts with the light and brings out every curve of the Mini shape.

At the front we find a Mk1-style grille, bringing back that clean and simple Mini face. At the rear, Mk2-style lights add a slightly more detailed and structured finish, while the boot lid is reshaped back towards a Mk1 look, cleaning up the rear and restoring the classic Mini silhouette.

The wheels and the painted striping running over the car are finished in Silver Sparkle (MNH). Chrome wipers and bullet mirrors complete the exterior details, adding small classic touches without overdoing it. Everything works together to keep the balance between classic Mini design and the MPi base underneath.

Finished in BMW Farngruen Metallic, the car has a deep, rich presence that shifts with the light and brings out every curve of the Mini shape.

02Photos

15 selected · full set in the ZIPAll photosZIP

Photography by Noël van Bilsen (@noelvanbilsen) · Please credit Brooks Motors / Noël van Bilsen