BMW’s MINI is a stunning car that is a tactile feast as well as a road going diamond. The standard car holds the road better than the original and provides more grins per minute than any car out there. I’ve said it before the MINI is the best value Euro for Euro car you can buy.
John Cooper, the legendary racer and car builder, left a legacy that his son Mike is proud to continue with the best evolution of the Oxford built MINI i.e. ‘John Cooper Works’. It is a stunning little powerhouse that drives as well as it looks.
Launched a couple of years ago in kit form the ‘Works’ package was used to modify the standard ‘Cooper S’. All the necessary oily bits and pieces came from the UK John Cooper factory. The kit could be fitted to a new car or added at a later stage. 9 hours was the required time to complete the refit at a MINI dealer without the warranty being affected in anyway. Petrol heads loved the whole process but for most people getting a kit fitted was too much hassle? Not anymore, the good news is that now you can get the MINI ‘Works’ straight off the Oxford production line with the new addition of a limited slip differential (so all that extra power doesn’t just wheel spin away) and JCW brakes.
Top speed where permissible is a cool 230km/h and 0-100km/h takes just 6.6 second, nice figures in something so compact. The magic with MINI is that 50km/h feels like you’re bombing along while at motorway speeds the car feels solid as a rock – so you get the best of both worlds.
If you look under the bonnet of a MINI you’ll barely see enough room for a stray leaf yet alone engine modifications so what has been done to up the power by 40bhp? There are two ways to tune up a car. One is using more efficient hardware or actual engine bits you bolt on to replace the standard original equipment.
The second method is to re-work the software that manages the car’s fuel system. The best method is a combination of both. The ‘Works’ features a modified cylinder head that features higher compression cylinder head (the head is 20% more efficient at dealing with exhaust gases). The car breaths a lot more freely thanks to a revised air filter and better fuel injectors.
The most important part of any power boost is the ability to stop so the brakes are now very beefy (16" discs). The heart of the ‘S’ is the Super Charger (which is basically a mechanical pump that blows more air/fuel mixture into the engine than normal fuel injection) it has been given the Works treatment.
The ECU (electronic brain) has been reworked to upgrade the standard ‘Cooper S’ to a 210 bhp ‘hysterical laugh a minute’ hot hatch. To help keep the power going to the road the suspension has been lowered and stiffened plus to aid the car’s rigidity there is a strut brace in the engine bay plus upgraded brakes.
Exterior touches include a revised rear spoiler, carbon fibre bits and pieces (Mirrors, Super Charger Air Intake) and gorgeous chunky alloys.
Mike Cooper (John’s son) who drives a MINI Works as his everyday car reassuringly says the ‘Works’ kit will have no effect on the longevity of the vehicle, you even get a certificate of authenticity.
The MINI John Cooper Works is pricey (starting at €38,300) but absolutely stunning, I love it.
Michael Sheridan
