Yahoo Autos The 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP Will Have at Least 300 Horsepower and a Huge Rear Wing
A new Mini John Cooper Works GP has been teased ahead of Geneva debut.
The limited-run model was previewed by a 2017 concept.
With 300-plus horsepower, it will be Mini's fastest production car ever.
Following the reveal of a concept in 2017 and the announcement of the production car late last year, Mini finally is beginning to tease and release initial details of the new John Cooper Works GP. The limited-edition Hardtop will be the third GP special that Mini has produced-the first-generation GP was released in 2006, while the second-gen GP came out in 2012-and Mini says that it will be the fastest and most powerful car the brand has ever released.
The new GP will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four making more than 300 horsepower, but Mini has yet to say what transmission the motor will be paired with. The standard Hardtop JCW model, which makes 228 horses, can be paired with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Like the regular JCW, the GP will send all of its torque through the front wheels, which will make it one of if not the most powerful front-wheel-drive cars on the market, alongside the Honda Civic Type R. Mini makes a point to mention the previous-gen GP's Nürburgring lap time of 8:23, leading us to believe it will set an official time with the new model (it would have to beat the Type R's time of 7:43.8 to take the FWD lap record).
In the three released photos, we can see the new GP's wheel, rear wing, and rear bumper and exhaust tips. The wing is a massive, two-tiered, split-down-the-middle unit that is close in design to the one found on the concept car. "GP" is stamped in big letters on the side, and the inner surfaces are painted red; the previous GPs only came in gray with red contrasting accents, and it seems the new car will be no different. Also like the previous cars, the new GP will have an awesome set of four-spoke wheels with a lozenge-like design, as well as dual center-mounted exhaust.
While we can't see the rest of the car, the GP should get a number of other aerodynamic enhancements inspired by the concept car. Mini says the GP will have "rigorously defined aerodynamic properties," so a new front bumper, lower side skirts, and larger, finlike fender flares (like those on the concept) are all likely. The new GP will also get a unique suspension tune and larger brakes, and it should be lighter than the standard car. Both previous GPs did away with the rear seats in favor of a rear shock-tower brace, and the new one should continue the tradition.
The JCW GP will be revealed next month at the Geneva auto show. Just 3000 will be built for worldwide consumption-1000 more than both previous GPs-and the sticker shock should be quite substantial. The second-gen GP was $39,950, nearly 10 grand more than a regular JCW Hardtop, so with the current JCW priced from $32,750, we bet this third-gen GP will be at least $45K.
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