Mini 1499 GT
‘Mum, Mum! I went on a steam train for the first time ever,’ I declared excitedly last week. ‘No you didn’t,’ she replied. ‘Excuse me, but I did,’ I reiterated. ‘Not true, you’ve been on a steam train before. We took you to Wales on one when you were two.’
How did I not know this? Why has she waited until now to tell me? Why tell me at all? Why not just allow me to have my own steam train moment 48 years on?
‘In fact, we took you on a steam train five times in all, maybe six.’
What? No. Stop. Enough. For years I’ve been banging on to anyone who’ll listen that out of all the amazing things I’ve been lucky enough to experience, riding on a steam train thus far has not been one of them. I’ll continue regardless.
It’s called the 1499 GT as 1,499cc is the engine size and Mini is producing just 1,499 of these little beauties
What a spectacularly romantic way to get to Cheltenham on Gold Cup day, a real pinch-me moment. The individual compartments, the netted luggage racks, the clouds of steam. Volunteers like Andy and Ed firing up the mighty Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class P&O locomotive against a scorching backdrop of white-hot coals. Just two of the 200-plus volunteers who keep this steam railway alive, all of whom are currently even more excited than usual at the prospect of an additional three miles of steam heaven coming soon with the reopening of the old station at nearby Broadway.
Broadway, a stunning Cotswold village, home to the legendary 600-year-old Lygon Arms hotel. The very place where Cromwell dined the night before the Battle of Worcester in 1651, and where Richard Burton romanced Elizabeth Taylor in 1963. Prince Philip and various Prime Ministers also feature in the guestbook of this jewel in Britain’s crown, where the staff are first-rate, the food and wine is world-class and there’s a ‘collection’ of bars. We intend to return very soon.
Not soon enough, however, for this week’s test car. A pity, as the new Mini 1499 GT would really look the part sitting out there on the village green. It’s called the 1499 GT as 1,499cc is the engine size and Mini is producing just 1,499 of these little beauties. A smart move. It’s always good to sell out, which this car will on looks and price alone.
The red-and-black leather, cloth and Dinamica Recaro sports seats are lush, dynamically sculpted, comfy and supportive
The original Mini GT, the 1275 GT, remains a legend, first produced in 1969 (about the same time Mum claims I was Wales-bound on a steam train) and now commanding premium classic prices, as do the rest of the Mini stable. My first car was a Mini, my first Scalextric was the 1970s Mini Rally Cross edition, yellow with a black-chequered roof – also a collector’s item nowadays. Minis are cool, and they star in the coolest British car movie of all time, The Italian Job (being shown again this summer with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack).
The 1499 GT is gorgeous except for one thing – the peanut-sized pseudo aftermarket spotlights. The only wrinkle in what is an otherwise beautifully composed work of art. On the school run, everyone loved it. Boom! As they did on the A30, M25, M4 and in Central London, thumbs-up all the way, all day, my wife included. She loved the honeycomb grilles front and back, the black sports alloys, rear spoiler, the gold GT livery and the blacked-out rear windows. The only thing she wasn’t so keen on were the gold Union Jack wing mirrors.
The red-and-black leather, cloth and Dinamica Recaro sports seats are lush, dynamically sculpted, comfy and supportive. The meaty leather steering wheel, with its multi-function switchgear, matching handbrake and gear knob, is both attractive and gratifying to grab hold of. The arcs and swooshes of piano-black shiny panels combined with chunky leather finishes and Mini’s trademark circular dials, speakers, handles and central infotainment screen create a seriously classy groove. As does sitting in the driver’s seat behind the aircraft-style wraparound windscreen – an extremely pleasant vantage point from which to view the world. Especially considering all the above comes free as standard, as do other usually optioned extras such as sports suspension, cruise control, John Cooper Works aerodynamics kit and air-conditioning. The only extra cost that came up on the invoice were the velour floor mats at £65. Why, I have no idea.
My wife loved the honeycomb grilles front and back, the black sports alloys, rear spoiler, the gold GT livery and the blacked-out rear windows
All good then. All perfect, in fact. Just as long as you don’t expect the car to drive quite as well as it looks. Not that it isn’t fun. It is. Lots of fun. It handles superbly, the steering is as direct and responsive as any other car on the planet and the engine is more than adequate, especially if you stick to chucking it around the local lanes in second and third all day. Beyond that, however, there is little grunt and growl, barely even a purr. Which is a shame, because this could easily be the most exciting Mini for a decade. That said, it’s absolutely fine cruising on the motorway, although I didn’t really sense a need for fourth or sixth gear, going mostly from third to fifth and staying there. But I don’t think any of this will be a deal-breaker to at least 1,499 people, which is all BMW needs to sell the lot. An eminently sensible business decision then, albeit one that could have been so much more than that. I still liked the car, though, despite no heated seats or driver’s armrest (creature comforts much appreciated by today’s pampered hatchback fans).
I liked the price, too. It’s a car that will hold its value better than most for years to come. With some vintage Mini originals now fetching ten, 20, even 50 times their original list price, I’m saying this is a four-star car but a five-star buy. When it comes to a new take on an old legend, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.