Yahoo Movies Mini Confirms New John Cooper Works GP for Production
UPDATE 11/20/18: Mini has announced that the John Cooper Works GP concept will go into production in 2020, probably as a 2021 model. This will be the third JCW GP model that Mini has produced, with the previous version coming out in 2013. The Mini Hardtop was just facelifted for 2019, making this new GP a likely swan song for this generation of the compact.
If Batman were to trade in the Batmobile for a Mini, we’d imagine it would be the Mini John Cooper Works GP concept. Scheduled to be unveiled at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show, this stylized hot-rod design study is the antithesis to the Mini Electric concept that will debut alongside it in Germany.
Whereas the Electric concept showcases Mini’s city-friendly EV future, the JCW GP concept flaunts the brand’s racing heritage. Although Mini isn’t sharing powertrain details, the concept’s two center exhaust pipes and rear-window-mounted fuel filler lead us to believe the GP concept sips good old-fashioned gasoline.
Mini claims the concept draws inspiration from the big-winged, limited-edition 2006 Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works GP and 2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP production cars. This concept car, however, makes those prior models’ extroverted designs look demure. Notably, the concept features massive fender flares that appear to channel the rear-wing design and chunky fenders found on the classic BMW 3.0 CSL race car.
There are a host of other striking details, including a large carbon-fiber front splitter, a roof-mounted air scoop, cheeky half–Union Jack taillights, a hatch-mounted wing, and a set of chunky 19-inch, 18-spoke wheels behind which are massive disc brakes.
Befitting the JCW GP concept’s racy exterior design is an almost completely stripped-out interior that contains a roll cage, a pair of seats with five-point racing harnesses, a fire extinguisher, a three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters, an emergency cut-off switch, a start-stop toggle, and a handful of other controls including a button to adjust the suspension’s settings. The concept also features both a digital gauge cluster and a head-up display. Interestingly, Mini states that parts of the instrument cluster and the door panels were constructed with a 3D printer, while sections of the seats were made using 3D knitting technology.
As is, the Mini JCW GP concept may be just an abstract construction. Nevertheless, we’re hopeful that the concept’s arrival signals the eventual return of the vaunted, limited-edition John Cooper Works GP to the Mini Hardtop model line. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the concept’s massive fender flares make it to production as well.
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