New MINI GP confirmed

[undred orse]

Following the thread in GG reporting that it has been confirmed that a new GP ‘based” on the concept will be produced in 2020 has anyone put a deposit on one or got any more info.

My deposit went in yesterday.

[sad61t]

Photos of a test mule:
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/new-mini-john-c...
(Standard body with big wing and low-profile tyres.)

Some predictions:
http://www.motoringfile.com/2018/11/20/all-new-jcw...
(and loads of shots of the show car, don't expect it to retain all the pointy body work).

I think it will be fast-road oriented, particularly as evo's track-day Challenge special edition wasn't greeted with abundant sales and BMW may be shy of selling a car too heavily track oriented again. Given the gap in JCW availability, a fast-road GP3 could be very popular with enthusiasts looking for something a little special. Personally there's nothing in the current showroom that would entice me out of my R56 Cooper, and a couple of other owners (one has a JCW coupé) I've spoken to say the same.

[trawler]

sad61t said:

Personally there's nothing in the current showroom that would entice me out of my R56 Cooper, and a couple of other owners (one has a JCW coupé) I've spoken to say the same.

+1

Driven the new JCW. For getting to A to B nice medium size car. For fun forget it. Will stick with GP2.

[ghiblicup]

I said the same until I managed to get a test drive in the Challenge Edition.

Couldn’t part ex my R56 JCW quick enough! Steering feel still not as good as the old car but much better than the standard F JCW.

[trawler]

ghiblicup said:

I said the same until I managed to get a test drive in the Challenge Edition.

Couldn’t part ex my R56 JCW quick enough! Steering feel still not as good as the old car but much better than the standard F JCW.

Similar with me. Couldn't change R56 JCW quick enough to get into GP2

[Deep Thought]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what the price is going to be?

Must be going to be nigh on £35K surely?

[Brainpox]

Article posted above said:

The MINI JCW GP has never been about power. It’s been a lightweight two door hatch track weapon that is meant to cater to those looking for feedback and responsiveness. For the 3rd generation GP, MINI is keeping that formula intact with one major addition: an enormous increase in power.

Sources in the know have told us that MINI is targeting 280 hp out of a modified 2.0L JCW engine (with torque figures likely approaching 300. That figure coupled with a modest weight reduction will make this far and away the fastest MINI of all time.

I don't see how that makes any sense and I tbh I hope they don't go chasing hp. I'd have expected the GP to be more or less in line with the JCW but with a better dynamic setup (throw the third party parts bin at the brakes/suspension) and tuned for top end power.

I'm not in the market anyway so what do I know. I got a GP2 a few weeks ago precisely because I don't like the new model

[GiveItSomeWellie]

Deep Thought said:

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what the price is going to be?

Must be going to be nigh on £35K surely?

I read somewhere a price in Europe of 43k Euros..

[cerb4.5lee]

It's a shame that it will be Auto only, but I can understand why it is because the demand will be much higher for it. The manual gearbox is classed as very old fashioned in this day and age.

It will be quick for sure with the numbers it will more than likely push out, I will look forward to the road tests when it is released.

[undred orse]

I’m expecting it to cost around £40k . I hope there’s a manual option but doubt that there will be and that’s not enough to put me off.

Am I the only one with a deposit in at the moment? (only one dull enough perhaps).

[The1Driver]

It would have to be one heck of a car to cost 40k. I'm guessing 35k tops.

[Deep Thought]

The1Driver said:

It would have to be one heck of a car to cost 40k. I'm guessing 35k tops.

Its not hard to spend £30K on a Cooper S these days if you click a few options.

A spec'd JCW when it returns will probably be £33K+

MINI seem to be relying more and more on people being blindly loyal and paying through the nose so whilst i'm with you that it "should" be around £35K it wouldnt surprise me if it was £40K.

[sad61t]

They'd struggle to sell at beyond £35K, an auto Golf R is £34K and that has AWD and four seats, or an Elise 220 for two-seat 2WD manual fun at £36K.

If they push over £40K, then it would be subject to the premium car tax £310 annual surcharge.

[indapendentlee]

I think I agree with the sentiment that 40k is too much. At 40k I'd sooner roll the dice on a JCW Challenge at 22/23k (by that point in time) and keep my GP2 to be honest.

[Brainpox]

I don't think the Golf R is the direct competitor. Financially yes but not target market. The R is a lardy car.

The GP will probably be cheaper to own as it will depreciate less.

I agree £40k is rich but I think there will be enough people willing to pay it for a focused/exclusive car.

[Dr Interceptor]

Brainpox said:

I don't think the Golf R is the direct competitor. Financially yes but not target market. The R is a lardy car.

The GP will probably be cheaper to own as it will depreciate less.

I agree £40k is rich but I think there will be enough people willing to pay it for a focused/exclusive car.

Gti Clubsport is a better comparison... Still a big heavy car though.

If they manage something special with the GP3, it might tempt me back to the brand... Currently though there's nothing to get excited about. Having had an F57 JCW Convertible, there was little to upgrade to.

[sad61t]

Brainpox said:

I don't think the Golf R is the direct competitor. Financially yes but not target market. The R is a lardy car.

The GP will probably be cheaper to own as it will depreciate less.

I agree £40k is rich but I think there will be enough people willing to pay it for a focused/exclusive car.

Sorry, not obvious in re-reading my comment, but I intended to convey that there's a lot of interesting metal in the high 30s (from lard to light) and, if the GP3 goes beyond that, sales will become increasingly hard to achieve.

[sad61t]

Some lunchtime internet trawling gives:
* Power: 280 bhp
* Torque: 300 lb-ft
* Price: €42000
* 2-litre turbo 4-pot
* 8-speed Sports Auto
* Advance torque vectoring (to tame to torque steer)
* Mechanical diff (option?)
* Adjustable Ohlins
* On your driveway in late '19


(£37000 at today's exchange rate, roughly £15000000 by 2020 if the Bank of England is to be believed; shame we can't pay fully in advance of a certain event. Maybe cut a deal with Quark for some gold-pressed latinum to cover the interim?)

[Dr Interceptor]

Puts a fiver on the end result being....

A JCW hatch with a stage 0.75 remap, the rear seats removed, some lightweight alloys with sticky rubber, a few bolt on bodywork bits (spoiler), and tricky suspension that'll need a rebuild every 10k miles.

Oh, and some different colour dials.

[The1Driver]

Lol I like the suspension rebuild reference.

I still can't see this being anymore that 35k. And that's pushing it.