MINI will be visiting the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show tomorrow to pull the covers off the John Cooper Works (JCW) GP, the brand’s fastest street-legal car ever and the most powerful in the subcompact hatchback class.
Packing a 301 hp and 450 Nm of torque, 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four, it has the ability to make your neck stiff in a fraction of a second. Nought to 0-100 km/h is dealt with in 5.2 seconds and the ungoverned top speed is 265 km/h. Power is sent to the front wheels via an 8-speed Steptronic transmission with integrated differential lock.
Peel away the bad-boy body kit and you will see lots of similarities to the regular Cooper S JCW. Nonetheless, the added parts contribute to the theatrical presence of the car and include CFRP fender flares that extend to the front and rear bumpers, as well as a huge roof-mounted wing, restyled diffuser that incorporates the central-mounted exhaust pipes, GP badging on the grille and tailgate, red accents and 18-inch alloy wheels shod in 225/35 Hankook tires. Moreover, the ‘2020’ number applied to the front wheel arch panel is individual to each car, as it symbolizes the production number and was applied using a newly developed paint transfer process.
The JCW GP is strictly a two-seater, as MINI has dropped the back seat to make room for the roll cage. At the front, it has bucket seats with contrast stitching and GP badge underneath the integrated headrests, red seatbelts, another custom ‘GPXXXX’ logo incorporated into the dashboard on the passenger side and 12 o’clock mark on the meaty steering wheel, with 3D printed paddle shifters. More GP logos are found throughout the interior and the gear selector boasts double red stripes. The equipment list is generous and includes an infotainment system, digital instrument dials and dual-zone climate control, alongside the usual fancy lighting and trim.
Production is limited to 3,000 units worldwide, and all of them will be put together at the company’s plant in Oxford, UK. The first examples will be delivered on March 2020, whereas on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, you should expect to take delivery next summer. Pricing starts at $45,750 (including destination), or just $50 short of the BMW M240i Coupe, which gets a 335 hp, 3.0-liter, inline-six.
