They say that good things come in small packages, and no brand displays this better than Mini. There are still those however, that will write the Mini Cooper off as a small toy, that hardly presents any challenge or test for the professional driver. For those people, Mini has an answer: the John Cooper Works GP Concept.

For the upcoming Frankfurt motorshow, Mini is planning on pulling the veil off their latest pocket rocket, and it does so with pride. Despite currently being labelled as a concept the car looks very close to its potential production guise. The appearance of the Works GP doesn’t shy away from revealing its true nature as a hard-core road and track car. A wider body kit with some seriously aggressive air intakes, a full breadth rear spoiler, an air scoop, a sportive front splitter hanging low to the ground, a front bonnet air intake, hexagonal honeycomb radiator grille, and sleek canards – you’d imagine we’re describing the next generation McLaren, but no. All these features are indeed incorporated on the Works GP – in magnificent fashion. Normally extensive aero tweaking on a car will make it look clunky or overdone. Not with the mini: the exterior looks aggressive, yet appropriate for the job.

On the inside the cars oozes absurdity as much as it does on the outside. To make this a true little monster, Mini has completely stripped down the interior where it could. This left two bucket seats with five-point racing harnesses, an integrated roll cage, the driver’s instruments, and little else. No roofing, no rear seats, and most importantly: little to distract the driver from the road up ahead. Despite having stripped the car down to its bare essentials however, the Works GP doesn’t look unrefined. The steering wheel and driver displays appear splendidly refined, and suit the trimmed yet stylish look of the car sumptuously. The instrument cluster is fully digital and will provide just the right amount of information to the driver.

“If you know about Mini, you’ll be aware of the brand’s long and successful history in motor sport,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept brings together the full suite of defining MINI design features and showcases them at their sportiest and most exciting. What we’re looking at here is maximum performance, maximum Mini.”

What’s left under the hood is unlikely to disappoint. Seeing how far Mini has gone in design to make the Works GP a full-fledged rocket pocket, it is unlikely they’ll hold back when it comes to the drivetrain. Unfortunately, Mini decided to keep the best for last, veiling the engine details until its official unveil next week in Frankfurt. Stay tuned for the full breakdown of this little rascal!

Previous articleHötsi – Finland’s Tuning Auto Show
Next articleOfficial: Jaguar E-Type Zero – Full Electric E-Type Recreation

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here