The original Mini Cooper appeared in 1961 when Formula One team owner John Cooper bored out the standard car’s engine and fitted it with twin carburettors.
He also added disc brakes and a close-ratio gearbox making the car a hit on the rally stages. A legend was born giving BMW a reason in 2001 to relaunch the Cooper badge to its customers. Now today in 2020 the New MINI Cooper Works GP is launched in South Africa offering the select few a chance to own the fastest MINI approved for road use. I say the select few as only 3,000 units will be build at the MINI plant Oxford in England and only a mere 38 will find their way to our shores. Although hundreds of local racing enthusiasts are eager to own one of the 38, only customers who had registered their interest via MINI SA channels are eligible to purchase.
Powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-litre 225kW engine along with TwinPower Turbo Technology, this MINI is the fastest ever produced for road use (top speed 265 km/hr). Based on the 3-door version of the MINI the John Cooper Works GP has been stripped down to the essentials resulting in a 55kW advantage over a standard MINI John Cooper Works. Suspension is lowered by 10mm carrying on the tradition linked to the legendary Formula 1 designer John Cooper created
more than 60 years ago. The combination of a powerful engine, latest suspension technology, lightweight body construction, torsional stiffness and aerodynamics makes this car uncompromisingly geared towards extreme driving pleasure.
Accelerating from zero to 100 km/hr in just 5.2 seconds the two-seater model will achieve a fuel consumption of 7.3 l/100 km, with a combined CO2 emissions of 167 g/km. The 8-speed Steptronic transmission is operated via model-specific electronic gear selector switch. Manual intervention is also possible using the
standard shift paddles on the steering wheel. The exterior style has been adapted with model specific front and rear aprons. Roof spoiler has a double wing contour and the powerful flared carbon wheel arch covers all contribute to identifying this model. Only the exclusive finish Racing Grey metallic is available for the exterior paintwork with the roof and exterior mirror caps being finished in the contrasting colour of Melting Silver metallic. The lower grille air intakes and the inside of the roof spoiler are finished in high-gloss Chili Red.
Presented to the public for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show starting on 22 November 2020, deliveries across the globe should commence in March 2021.
