Classic Mini Cooper S RESTOMOD by Tolman looks a hoot

Classic restomod experts Tolman have worked their magic on a 1968 Mini Cooper S, with more power and modern tech.

We already know that Tolman does a great restomod job having seen what they are doing with the Peugeot 205 GTI, still an ongoing project with four cars currently in build.

But Tolman doesn’t just deliver a run of resto-mods like the GTI; it specialises in one-off restomods for customers, the latest of which is a very impressive updating of a 1968 Mini Cooper S.

The Cooper S in question has been run for a decade by its owner, but he wanted a car more fit for everyday use, and some weekend fun, and was grabbed by Tolman’s ethos “to create cars that look how you remember and drive as you recall they did in period“.

It’s taken Tolman a year to build the Cooper S with a complete strip-out of interior and mechanicals, swapping the hydroelastic suspension for KAD adjustable tie rods and Bilstein dampers to maintain the go-kart feel and allow changes to suit use.

Brakes are still discs front and drums rear but with ATEC CNC brake lines, period-style 10″ Dunlop rubber, a boost in power to 90bhp and 80lb/ft of torque and a four-speed ‘box for authenticity, with fuel injection, stainless steel exhaust and a fully electronic engine management system.

Many original parts were retained, including brightwork, headlining, and paint, but with leather seats and a refurbished Webasto roof, LED lights, Bluetooth, a rev counter, and rust and chip-proofing.

Chris Tolman said:

The Mini is already a famously fun and practical car to own, our job was to take these attributes to the next level. In keeping with our previous projects, our team’s decades of motorsports experience have not been used to create the fastest Mini possible – instead we’ve been tasked with the greater challenge of enhancing what made the car special in the first place.