The Mini John Cooper Works GP has always represented the pinnacle of Mini performance. It’s the most-powerful, lightest and most uncompromising in its pursuit of going fast.the new 2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP delivers the raw, entertaining driving experience you would expect. As such, it should be a treat for Mini fans, but for the brand agnostic, there are better hot hatch options.
Mini GP is the most radical of all. It pulls its design straight from a Frankfurt Motor Show concept complete with unique carbon fiber fender flares that stand proud from the actual fenders. The rear wing is bigger than ever and bisected in the middle. Contrasting the dark gray paint are bright red accents and stripes. It looks remarkably menacing, which is impressive for such a cute little car.
It shares the same engine and transmission with the John Cooper Works Countryman and Clubman, and thus the same mantle of being most powerful Mini in history with 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The GP feels substantially more potent, though, since the engine has just 2,855 pounds to haul around -- that's nearly 800 pounds less than the next-lightest Clubman JCW with the same engine.
The GP rockets all over the place. And if you’re not keeping a firm grasp of the wheel, your steering could be all over the place, too. Plant your foot and the wheel starts wriggling as torque steer rears its head. It’s uncouth, uncivilized, but also kind of fun if you’re up for a ragged experience.
Further differentiating the Mini from those hot hatches is the GP’s sole eight-speed automatic transmission option.
it shifts smoothly and quickly with smart shift logic in normal or sport shift modes. Leaving it in automatic would be just fine, but then you'd miss out on tapping the 3D-printed aluminum shift paddles. Also welcome is the mechanical differential lock integrated within the transmission. Instead of roasting an inside tire in corners, both tires bite into the pavement to pull the Mini through corners.
The most prominent of which sits where the rear seats used to be. Lightweight wheels with model-specific tires and 14-inch brake rotors with four-piston fixed front calipers complete the chassis package.
There were other sacrifices made in the quest to reduce weight. Obviously there are no rear seats, which isn’t a huge sacrifice as a Mini’s are fairly useless. And that opens up room for a big chassis brace and more luggage. You’ll notice there’s no luggage cover, though, so anything in the back will be visible to the world. There’s no spare tire, either, and no cover for the luggage well, which means whatever's back there will flop over or slide down from the main floor.
The Mini John Cooper Works GP has always represented the pinnacle of Mini performance. It’s the most-powerful, lightest and most uncompromising in its pursuit of going fast.the new 2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP delivers the raw, entertaining driving experience you would expect. As such, it should be a treat for Mini fans, but for the brand agnostic, there are better hot hatch options.
Mini GP is the most radical of all. It pulls its design straight from a Frankfurt Motor Show concept complete with unique carbon fiber fender flares that stand proud from the actual fenders. The rear wing is bigger than ever and bisected in the middle. Contrasting the dark gray paint are bright red accents and stripes. It looks remarkably menacing, which is impressive for such a cute little car.
It shares the same engine and transmission with the John Cooper Works Countryman and Clubman, and thus the same mantle of being most powerful Mini in history with 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The GP feels substantially more potent, though, since the engine has just 2,855 pounds to haul around -- that's nearly 800 pounds less than the next-lightest Clubman JCW with the same engine.
The GP rockets all over the place. And if you’re not keeping a firm grasp of the wheel, your steering could be all over the place, too. Plant your foot and the wheel starts wriggling as torque steer rears its head. It’s uncouth, uncivilized, but also kind of fun if you’re up for a ragged experience.
Further differentiating the Mini from those hot hatches is the GP’s sole eight-speed automatic transmission option.
it shifts smoothly and quickly with smart shift logic in normal or sport shift modes. Leaving it in automatic would be just fine, but then you'd miss out on tapping the 3D-printed aluminum shift paddles. Also welcome is the mechanical differential lock integrated within the transmission. Instead of roasting an inside tire in corners, both tires bite into the pavement to pull the Mini through corners.
The most prominent of which sits where the rear seats used to be. Lightweight wheels with model-specific tires and 14-inch brake rotors with four-piston fixed front calipers complete the chassis package.
There were other sacrifices made in the quest to reduce weight. Obviously there are no rear seats, which isn’t a huge sacrifice as a Mini’s are fairly useless. And that opens up room for a big chassis brace and more luggage. You’ll notice there’s no luggage cover, though, so anything in the back will be visible to the world. There’s no spare tire, either, and no cover for the luggage well, which means whatever's back there will flop over or slide down from the main floor.
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