The new MINI John Cooper Works GP, powered by a 225kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology, is the fastest MINI approved for road use. Of the 3,000 units produced at MINI Plant Oxford, only 38 of these very special cars have been earmarked for South Africa, demonstrating the desirability of the most potent MINI.
Only customers who had registered their interest via MINI South Africa’s channels were eligible to purchase one of the 38 units, in the process dashing the hopes of hundreds of local racing enthusiasts who had also been eager to get their hands on one. And certainly with good reason, since the new MINI John Cooper Works GP offers unrivalled sporty flair and overwhelming agility in a package based on the MINI 3 door.
Stripped down to the bare essentials, with a 55kW advantage over the standard MINI John Cooper Works and suspension lowered by 10mm, it forms part of a fascinating tradition that has been closely linked to the name of the legendary Formula 1 designer John Cooper ever since the debut of the classic Mini more than 60 years ago.
For the purist
The exclusive character of the new MINI John Cooper Works GP is uncompromisingly geared towards extreme driving pleasure. In combination with its powerful engine, the suspension technology is fine-tuned in line with John Cooper Works’ comprehensive racing expertise and the body optimised with lightweight construction, torsional stiffness and aerodynamics.
The latest GP is the latest in a line of rarefied MINI racers dating back to 2006’s MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP kit and the MINI John Cooper Works GP of 2013. Both models generated 160kW from their supercharged – in the case of the former – and turbocharged – for the latter’s – four-cylinder engines. On each occasion, only 30 of the 2,000 units produced were sold in South Africa.
