Hardcore MINI fans had to wait one month before the official reveal of the MINI John Cooper Works at the North American International Auto Show 2015 taking place in Detroit.
As expected, the little not-so-much-British missile adopts a more agressive look than the standard MINI Cooper thanks to a redesigned front spoiler, larger air intakes and honeycomb grille inserts. You know, the usual JCW pack of goodies.
Besides that, the car also sports a pair of aerodynamic side skirts, as well as a new rear bumper, LED headlights, a center-installed dual exhaust system and 17-inch alloy wheels. You know, the other usual JCW pack of goodies.
Since we covered everything in terms of visual upgrades, let’s move on to more technical details. Firstly, it is worth noted that we are talking about the first John Cooper Works model to be built on the shared front wheel drive global architecture with BMW.
The 2.0 liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine stacked under the MINI JCW’s hood delivers 231 hp (170 kW) and 320 Nm of torque, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds before reaching a top speed of 246 km/h.
To keep all this verve under control, engineers made sure that the new MINI JCW is equipped with a sport-tuned suspension, high-performance brakes and an Electronic Differential Lock control system.
For the interior, designers opted for Dinamica / fabric sport seats, a sport steering wheel and stainless steel pedals. The finishing touches are checked by a piano black trim and John Cooper Works badges.
“This is undoubtedly an exciting time at MINI as we relaunch the John Cooper Works sub-brand as a true model in itself and with the most powerful engine we’ve ever had in a production model MINI,” said David Duncan, Vice President MINI of the Americas.
MINI John Cooper Works will go on sale in the US this spring, with a starting price of $30,600.