New 2020 MINI GP John Cooper Works to cost £34,995

The new 302bhp MINI GP John Cooper Works hyper-hatch will go on sale next year, priced from just under £35k

The new MINI GP John Cooper Works will be priced from £34,995 when it goes on sale in the UK next year, with global production being limited to just 3,000 units. A prototype version of the hot hatchback has already posted a sub-eight-minute time at the Nurburgring, and the production-ready model will make its official debut at this year’s Los Angeles Motor Show.

Based on MINI’s most recent suite of images, the John Cooper Works GP III will be a cut above the standard MINI John Cooper Works. Our pictured prototype features far more aggressive bodywork with a new splitter, a large diffuser, an enormous rear wing and a set of flared wheel arches necessary to accommodate the car’s wider front and rear track.

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The squared-off wheel arches are lifted from the MINI GP Concept, which was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017. Like our previous mule, this latest prototype rides on a set of five-spoke alloy wheels, but teaser images issued by MINI reveal that the production version will sport the GP’s trademark four-spoke design.

MINI has confirmed that it’ll be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 302bhp. The engine will likely be a highly-tuned version of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit from the standard MINI JCW, outfitted with a larger turbocharger, a new intercooler system and a reworked exhaust.

It’ll feature a range of chassis upgrades over the current John Cooper Works range-topper, including a reworked suspension set-up, bigger brakes and a new differential. Development is still underway, but MINI claims the new model is capable of a sub-eight minute Nurburgring lap-time, placing it within the territory of the Honda Civic Type R.

The showroom model probably won’t go to the same weight-saving extremes as the MINI GP Concept, but it is expected to shed a few kilogrammes over the standard John Cooper Works. The rear seats will likely be removed, along with a considerable amount of sound deadening.

Would you consider the new MINI John Cooper Works GP over its hot hatch rivals? Let us know in the comments below…

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