Mini has confirmed it will build a new John Cooper Works GP for 2020. To anyone who has ever driven earlier iterations of the GP Minis, this is good news.
The confirmation comes off the back of Mini’s Los Angeles Auto Show bundle, which includes a few US premieres of some special editions you’re not interested in. Mini hasn’t given any more details on the one you are interested in, other than citing its 2017 JCW GP concept, pictured above.
That concept was essentially a design study, but what a design. Something like a cross between an i8 and a Cooper, it was all flying buttresses and louvred wheel arches and a neat little rear wing.
All the bodywork was made from carbon fiber, sticking to the GP’s history of lightweighting, along with fancy wheels, diffusers, and a roll cage in place of the rear seats. Mini didn’t specify a power output for the 2017 concept, but bear in mind that the current JCW delivers 228hp from its 2.0-liter four-pot engine.
Indeed, the first GP was a bit of a bargain hero. Its follow-up, too, was a cracker. We’re expecting big things from this little Mini.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
