What's the news?
MINI has released details of what is likely to be its star of the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The MINI John Cooper Works Concept is said to offer "a look ahead to the next generation of the elite sports model" and comes only a matter of months after the new, third generation MINI debuted in Oxford.
Exterior
While officially tagged as a concept the production-ready JCW is not expected to look too dissimilar to the car that will be shown in the States. Longer and wider than before by virtue of its new platform, the concept wears a unique shade of paint called Bright Highways Grey and also newly designed 18-inch JCW alloy wheels.
The longer wheelbase and wider track are said to have a direct effect on the car's famous 'go-kart style' handling with MINI going so far as saying that the concept takes the car's driving talents "into a new dimension."
Large air intakes can be seen in the related images, which replace the spotlights from the standard car. LED headlights flank a black grille surround, which is used to signify that this is a John Cooper Works model, while the rear wears a diffuser and boot mounted spoiler.
Anything else?
While the third generation MINI is available with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine it is expected the JCW model will use a four-cylinder unit, most likely a tuned version of the 2.0-litre engine found in the new Cooper S.