Hot Mini goes Max Power

Newswheel staff :: 31 October 2005 :: Filed under Hatchback, Mini, Europe & UK, US

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More power and less weight (but only a bit) for limited production Mini

After months of speculation, leaks, FUD, falsehoods and fake photoshopped pictures the much-rumoured lightweight Mini has been unveiled. And it’s a bit naff.

Classy!

The full technical details of the new Mini Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Kit, to give the car its full moniker, are not awfully impressive. Power jumps by 8bhp over the existing Cooper S Works model for a grand total of 218bhp. Torque, meanwhile, stays pegged at 180lb/ft. Unfortunately, the weight reduction programme is no more impressive than this modest power hike. Just 40kg has been shaved off courtesy of alloy suspension components (the longitudinal control arms on the rear axle), dumping the rear seats and the removal of some sound deadening material. However, there is some unambiguously good news: a limited slip diff comes as standard.

The £4,000 price premium translates into an extra 8bhp. Oh, and a weight reduction of 40kg.  

However, the biggest disappointment has been reserved for the body kit and alloys. The overall effect of the new front air dam, side skirts, alloys and a particularly cheesy rear wing is fairly repellent. Think chintzy and chavvy if you’re British or pure Ricer if you hale from North America.

Only 2,000 examples of the Mini Cooper S JCW GP will be built for worldwide markets. Around 400 are expected to be made available in the UK from July 2006 for around £22,000 a pop. That’s £4,000 more than a boggo Cooper S Works.