The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
The new Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP conjures up interesting comparisons. Within a few minutes of driving it on some of my favorite Northwest Connecticut country roads, my mind went to Mercedes-AMG GT Rs and Porsche 911 GT3 RSes. The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
This Mini is stiff. It goes down the road in a similar manner to the GT R and GT3 RS. You feel every single bump and imperfection, and sometimes, it seems like the car is about to take off. But it never does. The GP deals with all of it, never losing grip and building speed in a way that's genuinely surprising. This isn't your typical sort of hot hatch—it makes the Honda Civic Type R feel like a luxury car. The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
Mini doesn't take half-measures with the JCW GP. Three-hundred and one horsepower from a BMW-sourced 2.0-liter turbo-four is sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a locking differential. There's all sorts of hardware increasing stiffness, including a red-painted aluminum brace that replaces the back seats, new engine mounts and some solid mountings for the rear wishbones. The GP sits 0.4 inches lower than the regular Mini JCW and comes from the factory with more negative camber. Front brakes are comically big, with 14-inch discs clamped down by four-piston calipers. They sit behind 18-inch forged wheels wrapped with 235/35 Hankook rubber. The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
That increase in tire and track width necessitated wider fenders, but rather than go for traditional body-integrated flares, Mini developed these wild carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) pieces. They look more like Formula 1 bargeboards than anything that belongs at a road car, and they're perhaps the most distinctive feature of the GP. Ducts on the back of the fenders help vent pressure in the arches and reduce tire temperature. Then, there's the wing. It stands tall and proud of the roof, and when you open the hatch, there's an adorable cutout for the antenna.
Some modern Mini twee carries on inside. The seatbelt warning chime is cutesy, as is the light ring around the infotainment system which changes color whenever something happens inside. But this is not a cutesy car. The Mini GP is more hardcore and more focused than any hot hatch on sale in the U.S. today. It might be the most aggressive car for the price.
So The 2021 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP Is a Different Type of Hot Hatch
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