Present meets future at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed where MINI is showcasing the two sides of its John Cooper Works formula. The final iteration of its gasoline-powered hot hatch is shown alongside the first-ever EV. As to why the cars are still camouflaged, that’s because the world premiere is scheduled to take place this fall.

The feisty three-door models might look nearly identical, but they’re not cut from the same cloth. The gasoline-fueled F66 sits on a different platform than the electric J01. The latter is underpinned by an architecture developed by Great Wall Motor with BMW. In addition, the two performance hatchbacks are going to be assembled thousands of miles apart. The ICE model will be built at home in Oxford while the EV will roll off the assembly line at a plant in China.

However, MINI has said it’ll start production of the fully electric Cooper 3-Door in the UK from 2026. Logic tells us the range-topping JCW model will also be manufactured in Oxford. Until then, the zero-emission model will exclusively be built in Zhangjiagang, a city in China’s Jiangsu Province. The company remains tight-lipped about technical specifications but the JCW will definitely pack a greater punch than the Cooper SE.

Consequently, expect more than the 215 hp and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) offered by the Cooper SE. The extra muscle should shave off a few tenths of a second from the sprint time. The quickest electric 3-Door on sale today needs 6.7 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill. By prioritizing performance, efficiency is likely to take a hit. The Cooper SE is rated at up to 250 miles (402 kilometers) in the WLTP cycle. We reckon the range will be lower in the JCW’s case.

These aren’t the only JCW models we’ll see this year. MINI is also launching a John Cooper Works variant of the electric-only, China-built Aceman (J05). Since the small crossover is mechanically related to the 3-Door electric hatch, it should have nearly the same technical specifications. Well, maybe a bit worse since it’ll be heavier. The sub-Countryman model will also be assembled in Oxford from 2026.

Source: MINI