John Cooper Works GP fastest MINI ever built

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The ultra high-performance John Cooper Works GP MINI production has been announced.

MINI has just announced details of the John Cooper Works GP which will be the fastest production MINI ever to be built. The JCW GP will begin production and arrive in showrooms later this year with a limited run of 2,000 units worldwide. This the second MINI John Cooper Works GP that the company has offered, but this all-new version is much faster than the previous model.

This MINI lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife a full 19 seconds faster for a brand-best time of eight minutes and 23 seconds. The new JCW GP will deliver extreme performance and the lap time at the Nurburgring was faster than a BMW 335i Coupe (8:26) and very close to the performance of the BMW E36 M3 (8:22) which shows just how exceptional the new MINI JCW GP is.

MINI hasn't released many details yet and we don’t know exactly how much horsepower the newest MINI John Cooper Works GP will have, but we do know that it will have considerably more than the 214 horsepower that the previous model had for it to be able to produce such impressive results. The twin-scroll turbocharged engine will produce plenty of torque and will be high-revving.

What we know about MINI John Cooper Works GP

We do know the new MINI JCW GP comes with a full body aero kit including large front and rear aprons, side skirts, rear diffuser and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. It also gets an exclusive upgraded powertrain, new “race-spec” brakes and a special adjustable race suspension for track handling. Custom bespoke sport tires and other race-ready elements will be included meant for increasing grip during performance driving. Inside, the John Cooper Works GP has no rear seats, to save weight and to contribute to the cars inspirational racing feel.

With just 2,000 of the cars being built worldwide, including the U.S. allotment, we can expect the new John Copper Works GP to be a sought-after collectors item like its predecessor was. We'll have to wait closer to launch to learn how many JCW GP’s are coming to U.S. shores, what the final performance figures will be and pricing details. We may even see a coupe version of the new JCW GP to join the hatchback at some point in the future.

The MINI John Cooper Works GP will be unveiled to the public for the first time at Le Castellet, France, during the MINI United festival this weekend.