Currently reading: Paris motor show 2012: Fastest ever Mini revealed

Mini John Cooper Works GP powered by a 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbocharged petrol engine

Mini has unveiled its fastest-ever production car, the Mini John Cooper Works GP, at the Mini United festival in France today. It will be seen next at the Paris motor show.

With the third-generation Mini already in development, the Mini John Cooper Works GP is a limited-run version of BMW’s second-generation hatchback.

Although Mini has yet to reveal specific performance details for the race-bred, two-seat machine, it has lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 8min 23sec during its development.

That’s 18sec quicker than the best lap time achieved by the BMW-owned brand’s next-fastest model, the Mini Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Kit, which lapped the gruelling German circuit in 8m 41s.

The old car – which is the spiritual predecessor to the Mini John Cooper Works GP – had 210bhp and 180lb ft and was fitted with a limited-slip differential. Although the power hike was modest compared to the base car, the JCW GP was around 40kg lighter than the standard version.

The Mini John Cooper Works GP should produce in the region of 220-230bhp. It's fitted with adjustable race suspension and a competition-spec braking system with six-pot callipers at the front. The ECU has been race tuned.

The car has redeveloped aerodynamics, with a reprofiled nose for less drag, and a sealed underside and rear diffuser.

 It also gets an aggressive appearance and features large front and rear aprons, side skirts and a bespoke roof spoiler.

It runs on high-performance tyres that have been specially developed for the car – the car in the official pictures issued by Mini is fitted with Kumho Ecsta V700 rubber and runs on 17in rims.



The John Cooper Works GP will be produced in an exclusive colour, Thunder Grey metallic. Mini also promises that it will have an exclusive interior design. 

It gets Recaro seats and, like the Mini Cooper S JCW GP Kit, the rear seats have been removed to allow the fitment of a load-bearing brace.



Jorg Weidinger, head of chassis and suspension development on the Mini John Cooper Works GP: “This is a track car, but it is also developed for everyday use. It is not a car you put on a trailer to take to the race track; you drive it there.”

The car, to be built in Oxford, is coming to the end of its pre-production test programme and will go on sale later this year in a limited run of 2000 cars. Details of the number of right-hand drive examples that will be built and the price have yet to be confirmed.

Mini United, the event where the John Cooper Works GP has been unveiled, is a three-day celebration of the marque which this year is taking place at the Paul Ricard race circuit in southern France.

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jer 14 May 2012

Re: Fastest ever Mini revealed

Fidji wrote:
My calculations show that if the '25d' engine was put in the MINI Coupe (the same engine with less power - the '18d' - already is), it could do 0-60mph in just 5.8 seconds whilst achieving 60mpg on the combined cycle. The torque steer would be horrendous though, so adding MINI's 'ALL4' 4WD system would help aid traction and handling, and possibly improve the acceleration figure that I roughly calculated, as the added traction would be more of a benefit than the added weight would be a drawback.
Plus the option of a DSG box with launch control for the headlines and you have something of a halo car.

Overdrive 14 May 2012

Re: Fastest ever Mini revealed

kraftwerk wrote:
R32 wrote:

Cynically I can't help but think they just want to shift another 2,000 units.

Car maker in 'We want to make a profit' shocker. What else are they supposed to do?

Yes, every time BMW announce a new Mini mode, howls of derision and disgust go up in the air. It seems some of our forum members believe BMW should only produce no more than tiny numbers of a single Mini model so as not to induce Sir Alec not to, supposedly, spin in his grave and treat the World as if it is stuck in the 1960s. Never mind that BMW is trying to recoup hundreds millions of development costs, keep thousands of Mini employees in jobs (many of them in the UK), and, heaven forbid, make some money in the process.

kraftwerk 14 May 2012

Re: Fastest ever Mini revealed

R32 wrote:

Cynically I can't help but think they just want to shift another 2,000 units.

Car maker in 'We want to make a profit' shocker. What else are they supposed to do?