Not long ago, MINI announced that there’s a GP model in development right now, following in the footsteps of previous generations that benefited from a special edition of the JCW hatch. The GP is said to arrive later this year and if the Concept is anything to go by, it will most likely look absolutely amazing. But that’s just part of what the MINI John Cooper Works GP is supposed to bring to the table, the most important aspect about it being its track performance.
According to the info provided by MINI, the JCW GP will most likely use the same engine found in the BMW X2 M35i and the upcoming BMW M135i xDrive. That means it will be a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine making over 300 HP and some 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. With those figures, the small hatch should be properly quick. It will also get a different aerodynamic package with a huge wing at the back, as you can see from the footage below.
Some weight is also probably going to be cut, to reduce it to the absolute minimum, while new wheels and a new exterior color scheme might be introduced as well. To be honest, the red camo on the prototype seen here on the Nurburgring looks pretty cool as well and I definitely wouldn’t mind having the car in this exact guise. Round the back you’ll also notice what look like enlarged exhaust pipes that really make the 2-liter engine’s sound come to life.
The JCW model already sounds pretty good but the GP is taking it to a new level. Hopefully, that’s also going to be the case on the production model not just the prototype that is taking on much more powerful and bigger cars on the Ring. One of them is the upcoming 8 Series Gran Coupe which can be seen chasing the little hatch on the Green Hell in a couple of shots.
