Turbo-charged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with 218bhp and 260 – 280Nm (overboost), fully adjustable coilovers, 20mm lower, increased front camber, 17” lightweight alloys, sticky performance tyres, upgraded brakes, a kerb weight of 1,163kg, a 6.3s sprint to 100kmh and a best time of 8mins 23s at ‘The Ring’ is what makes us drool for the upcoming Mini John Cooper Works GP that’s gong to be revealed at the upcoming Paris Motor Show later this month.
There’s only going to be 2,000 units of this particular tyke getting built with the interior having been ‘MINI-mised’ with the cramped rear and front seats being removed to make way for body-hugging Recaro seats up front; becoming purely a 2-seater, while red accents and Alcantara trim filling in the rest of the void that will be your comfort zone all the way up to a top speed of 242kmh, thanks to a 6% increase in aerodynamic efficiency.
As previously mentioned, the brakes have been up-rated to vented front six-piston fixed-calliper disc brakes that are 330mm in diameter and 25mm thick, with 280mm x 10mm discs at the rear and the light-weight 17” alloys get wrapped by sticky 215/40 tyres.
The Mini JCW GP also gets DSC that’s combined with DTC, but with a flick of a button during hard-driving conditions, a software tells the brake on the inside of the turn to engage, while the power gets redirected to the outer wheel, where tyre contact forces are greater – allowing you to turn better!
Powerful as it is, fuel consumption doesn’t seem half bad, drinking only 7.1L ever 100km while emitting 165gm of CO2 per kilometre.
All 260Nm of torque comes in rather quickly at 1,750rpm, but when needed, it’ll give 280Nm from 2,000rpm for just a short time and it’ll only come with a 6-speed manual. Let’s face it – real drivers use all three pedals!
