Hardcore MINI fans will know that a track-bred GP model usually signifies the end of each generation of the mainstream hatchback model, with two editions having been built so far – each being limited to 2,000 units. However, the current F56 MINI Hatch hasn’t even been facelifted, yet Cowley has still seen fit to showcase a new MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week.
This time around, it looks to be an even more uncompromising offering, with massive bolt-on wheel arch flares that hide a wider track and 19-inch Racetrack lightweight multi-spoke alloys, as well as a sizeable rear wing. At the front, larger air intakes and a jutting splitter give the car a road-hugging stance.
Along the sides, there are deeper side skirts, slimline door mirrors and hollowed-out door handles that hint at the car’s lightweight construction, as well as fins that extend from the rear haunches, seemingly flowing towards the rear spoiler. Union Jack tail lights, first seen on the MINI Electric Concept, are found here too, and they join a huge rear diffuser and twin central tailpipes.
Grey paint is the signature of the GP, and this Black Jack Anthracite finish flits between grey and black. It contrasts with the Curbside Red metallic highlights, as well as Highspeed Orange that embellishes the headlights, front air intakes, door mirror bases and door handles. The 0059 race number, found on the top of the front fender flares, is a throwback to the original Mini’s 1959 birth.
Like its predecessors, the GP Concept is a two-seater affair, but this time the rest of the interior seems to have been jettisoned together with the rear bench. What’s left is a full-on roll cage, a pair of race bucket seats with five-point harnesses and a pared-down dashboard with a digital instrument cluster and a head-up display, plus a centre touchscreen to adjust suspension settings.
The seats are upholstered in smooth black patinated leather, as well as 3D-knit black-and-white fabric centres and red stitching. Textured 3D-printed panels with a hexagonal pattern adorn the doors and dashboard, and recessed grips and fabric straps replace the usual door pulls and handles. An emergency cut-off switch and a fire extinguisher add to the race-ready look.
Performance details have yet to be released, but expect the production version to feature the standard John Cooper Works‘ 2.0 litre turbocharged engine, albeit boosted well beyond the 231 hp it currently makes – perhaps closer to 300 hp. Drive should be sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Is that enough to whet your appetites? It sure does ours.
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Last last, its not with rally based sequential txn