What's the news?
MINI has revealed a second concept car to be unveiled at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, called the John Cooper Works GP. It celebrates 50 years since the original Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally and is thought to preview both the style of an updated MINI line-up and the introduction of a limited edition John Cooper Works GP hot hatch at the top of the range.
Exterior
MINI's traditional JCW colours of black, grey and red are updated for the concept, with a 'Black Jack Anthracite' paint that is said to 'shimmer' between black and grey, accentuated by 'Curbside Red' metallic and 'Highspeed Orange' details. Front-on it's very aggressive looking, with noticeably wider bodywork and large air intakes covered in a hexagonal mesh. The front splitter is distinctly low and there's an air scoop and bonnet clips between the restyled headlights and a power dome behind. Look closer and you'll see that the add-ons are made of carbon fibre.
That's used for the ground-hugging side sills, too, which visually join the massive looking 19-inch 'Racetrack' alloy wheels. A subtle '0059' decal harks back to 1959, when the Mini was first launched. Suitably concept car features down the sides include slender mirrors and stylised door handles, but those pale into insignificance next to the rear haunches, which feature air-channelling add-ons that significantly widen the MINI. There's a massive roof spoiler, centre-exit dual exhausts and a hefty looking aerodynamic diffuser, too. Above that, the JCW GP concept carries on the theme of the MINI Electric Concept with a noticeably smooth rear hatch (emblazoned with massive 'MINI' writing) and new lights that each form half of the Union Jack flag - in LEDs.
Interior
Peer inside the JCW GP concept and you'll discover the interior of a pared-back race car. The bare painted metal body shell is quite obvious, as is a full roll cage. Two bucket seats up front have five-point harnesses, a fire extinguisher and a high-tech digital dashboard. A chunky sports steering wheel hides a paddle shift gearchange, too.
Mechanicals
Nothing to see here... MINI has told us nothing at all about an engine or anything else for the concept. Going by current trends, you'd assume a production GP would use a version of the company's turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine.
Anything else?
A few quotes:
"If you know about MINI, you'll be aware of the brand's long and successful history in motor sport," says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. "The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept brings together the full suite of defining MINI design features and showcases them at their sportiest and most exciting. What we're looking at here is maximum performance, maximum MINI."
"The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept is all about the unfettered feeling of driving and levels of performance found in motor sport competition," says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad. "This is driving fun in its purest form."