When you think of a hot hatch, you usually think of cars like the Mercedes-AMG A35, the Ford Focus RS or the Honda Civic Type R to name but a few. Mini, however, hasn’t really been high on that list in recent times. But now, it seems like that is going to change.
You may remember that Mini launched the John Cooper Works (JCW) GP Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2017. Well, it looks like that concept will be turning into reality next year in 2020. Mini say only 3000 of these pocket rockets will be built and will receive their motivation from a four-cylinder turbo that will give out at least 300 hp (220 kW).
Even though the vast majority of the JCW GP’s will spend most of their time on the road, Mini has been putting it through its paces at various race circuits to ensure that it provides the driver with as much engagement and excitement as possible.
Although the production version won’t be as radical as the concept, the pictures released by Mini show some similarities. The car will have a rather sporty rear wing with some lovely red accents and ‘GP’ logos to match. The Mini will also have some racy wheels, dual exhaust pipes and an aggressive rear diffuser to provide some down force.
“The fastest Mini in our brand history – which now goes back 60 years – is an expression of pure racing passion,” said Thomas Giuliani, vice president for product and launch management.
“We are well aware of the enormous fascination exercised by the Mini John Cooper Works GP, not just from the euphoric reactions to the concept vehicle but also from past experience: after all, every one of its predecessors was completely sold out even before the official market launch.”
The last time Mini created a JCW GP was back in 2012, and it’s about time that they are creating another exciting, hard core version of the iconic Mini Cooper. We certainly can’t wait to see what it will be like.
