Next year we’ll get to see yet another amazingly fast pocket rocket being launched, this time coming from the UK. Yes, the concept MINI unveiled earlier this year under the John Cooper Works GP nameplate is making it into production and it has just been spotted out on the Nurburgring once again. Manufacturers have to get their tests done in a hurry now, as winter is rapidly approaching and the Green Hell will be temporarily closed.
The MINI John Cooper Works GP will be the fastest hardtop ever to wear the winged logo. Judging by the footage below, it looks like the production car will be pretty close to the concept and that’s definitely great news for us. You can spot the huge wing at the back, hooked on the roof, as well as some aero bits on the sides of the fenders, just above the wheels. Up front, the car also seems to have a different set of aerodynamic upgrades that make the regular JCW model look pedestrian.
Just like it was the case with other JCW GP models before, the new one will feature a stripped out interior, to make sure weight is kept in check, as well as a unique exhaust. The biggest upgrade will come under the hood though. That’s where we’ll find the same 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that’s being used in the Clubman JCW model. Making 306 PS and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque, this thing will be a proper pocket rocket.
Will it become the fastest FWD car on the Nurburgring? It’s hard to say. Earlier this year MINI said the John Cooper Works GP ran a sub-8 minute lap time while testing but that’s still far off from the record. The fastest FWD car on the Green Hell at the moment is the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R, a special edition of the RS, which did it in 7:40.1. What’s interesting is that the Renault is a bigger car and has similar amounts of power. Thus, I guess the MINI could go for the crown if the people in Oxford really wanted to.
