MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S and Clubman S

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The first official orders for the new MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S hatchback and Clubman S estate will be able to be placed from July 2008 onwards. The MINI JCW will feature a tuned up version of the Prince 1.6 liter turbocharged direct injection engine producing 211 horsepower and 260Nm of torque, up to 280Nm during overboost.

The 1.6 liter common rail direct injection petrol engine makes more power via a larger twin-scroll turbocharger, a performance air filter, air mass meter, exhaust system, catalyst, and an uprated turbocharger inlet manifold diameter. These JCW engines are built at BMW’s Hams Hall plant and have been strengthened with reinforced polished pistons, a strengthened cylinder head, and a modified cylinder gasket. Intake valves and valve seat rings have also been upgraded with stronger materials.

The engine’s compression ratio has been reduced to make up for the larger turbocharger boost, which now maxes out at 1.3 bar instead of the standard “S” engine’s 0.9 bar. Peak torque of 260Nm kicks in at 1,850rpm thanks to the fast spooling twin scroll design of the turbocharger, despite it being larger than the standard size. The 6-speed manual gearbox has been strengthened to take the additional power and torque.

The MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S and Clubman S features a specially tuned Works sports suspension, but there is an optional lowering kit that lowers the car by 10mm. Larger disc brakes adorned with upgraded calipers painted red, with the front discs approximately 22mm larger than on the standard Cooper S. These discs are installed behind 17 inch JCW Cross-Spoke CHALLENGE light (10kg each) alloy wheels wrapped with run-flat tyres.

On the interior, you get a leather sports steering wheel, and a Piano Black interior trim with an Anthracite roof lining. An upgraded sound system is also included in the JCW package and features 10 speakers and an eight-channel amplifier. The speedmeter now tops out at 260km/h (or 160mph).

Other features include ABS, EBD, Cornering Brake Control, Electronic Differential Lock, DSC Stability Control with Hill Assist, and DTC Dynamic Traction Control. DTC allows a larger amount of slip before the traction control system kicks in. DSC/DTC can be turned totally off if needed, and the Electronic Differential Lock remains to help transfer torque to the tyre with more grip when necessary.

More images of both the JCW Cooper S and Clubman S after the jump.


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