Spy photographers have captured the new version of the Mini John Cooper Works GP in its final stages of testing outside the Nurburgring in Germany. This test mule sports a few unique features that single it out as a successor to the previous-generation JCW GP.
The car in these images features a more aggressive aerodynamics package than the regular JCW model, which includes a new front splitter, side skirts, a large roof wing and a prominent diffuser at the rear that looks similar to the one found on the Challenge race car. It’s also riding on lowered suspension and new alloy wheels with a four-spoke design, just like the first GP model. We can’t be entirely sure from these pictures, but the rear seat bench will most likely be removed to shave off a few extra kilos.
How much more power MINI’s engineers can extract from the JCW’s 1.6-litre TwinPowerTurbo engine is anyone’s guess, but an output of at least 165 kW is expected.
Reports suggest the Mini JCW GP will debut before the end of 2012. The old model was produced in a limited run of 2 000 vehicles and the new model is expected to be similarly exclusive.
