The GP badge on a MINI has always been reserved for the most extreme race inspired hatches to roll out of the brand’s Oxford plant and this is probably their best yet – the all new MINI John Cooper Works GP.
Yes it’s still a MINI, so it still has the iconic silhouette, along with the iconic elliptical headlights and Union Jack taillights.
There’s the hood scoop and honeycomb grille design from the JCW too, but the GP-specific front and rear fascias, flared fenders, widened track and lower ride height all give the GP an outrageously aggressive stance.
Looking at the flared fenders, you’ll see that it actually extends rearwards into something similar of a barge board from a Formula 1 car – truly embracing its race-inspired spirit. MINI calls these “spats”, and they’re made out of hand-crafted carbon fibre.
And just look at that ridiculous rear wing which looks almost too big for the car. The aerodynamic pieces of the car are not all show and no talk either – they are all functional to help with downforce and cooling of the MINI JCW GP. While we’re at the back, the double stainless steel tailpipes are the largest in diameter MINI has ever made.
The bonkers hot hatch rides on 18-inch lightweight forged wheels, with a reimagined MINI JCW GP four-spoke design. MINI also says that it’s the lightest 18-inch forged wheels ever featured in a MINI at less than nine kilograms, contributing to the weight savings of the car.
The powertrain is also the most extreme ever in a MINI, featuring a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder mill that churns out 306 hp and 450 Nm of torque – the latter available at just 1,750 rpm. Pair that to the 8-speed Steptronic sports transmission and the MINI JCW GP does 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds, onward to a top speed of 265 km/h.
Unfortunately though, there won’t be a three-pedal version of the JCW GP. Though if the GP is meant to be a distillation of the ultimate MINI race car for the road, we can see why MINI went with this choice.
The 74 hp upgrade from the standard JCW is due to upgraded engine internals, newly engineered turbocharger, larger intakes and reworked exhaust. MINI also equipped the JCW GP with an upgraded oil and cooling system, so the new powertrain can take a beating while you drive it the way it’s meant to be driven – like a race car.
Brakes has also been upgraded with 360 mm discs and four-piston front calipers, while the rear has single-pot floating calipers. Other performance upgrades include additional reinforcements in the engine bay and chassis, along with stiffer suspension bushings, a strut bar at the front, and a mechanical differential lock for the front wheels.
Inside, the ridiculousness continues with the stripped out rear seats, as well as a new free-standing digital cluster on the steering column for the ultimate race car experience. 3D printing was also used generously in the interior, including the aluminium shift pedals, steering wheel clasp, and a decorative trim strip which bears the vehicle’s production number.
Each MINI John Cooper Works GP will have it’s own production number emblazoned proudly on the interior trim piece, as well as the front spats, because MINI will only be making 3,000 of these. No official pricing has been announced yet, but we won’t expect it to be cheap (or even land here in Malaysia), as the standard JCW already costs RM283,888. Oh well, a man can dream.
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