MINI Speedster/Coupe Details Leak Out

As always, thanks for the info.

I look forward to every update on this platform… A JCW speedster may be the only thing that keeps me from jumping to the Z2

Sounds promising, especially the more performance oriented direction. I hope the car will not look too much like the current R57 which lost a lot of character compared to the R53. If it looks like the pic in the post I will likely pass and look for a used 05/06 JCW.

John, this car can be directed at the enthusiast and not be the most powerful MINI–it’s diminished weight will more than make up for the HP. You can only put so much HP in these cars anyway before people start winding them around trees… I suspect the most important number–not overall HP, but HP to weight ratio, will be substantially in the favor of the Coopster/Speedster over the MINI SUV.

This is very, very cool; it harkens back to the 2002 MINI which was more a labor of love than an attempt to make a bunch of money–I doubt these models will be huge money makers, but it does throw a nice bone out to those of use pleading for something performance oriented, practicality be damned.

I’m now officially willing to look the other way on the SUV; as long as BMW is willing to acknowledge the MINI as a performance platform as well as a cash cow for the masses, I’m good…

I’d still lean toward a Z2, but at the end of the day, I don’t know if I could ever not own a MINI.

Dear Mini: That CRX you fondly remember? It was affordable!

Lol Gabe

Its true that HPis not everything but to be honest the JCW is still well down on power from much of its competition (example focus rs). I would much rather see them spend the time an energy to make this the main performance car of the brand. Wish they would spend the time and energy they are burning into the R60 2 liter into making the Coopster something more than a little special. Thinking M here.

Although I find the concept of a roadster appealing, I have a “what’s wrong with this picture” reaction. MINI’s two seat roadster will be the largest car they sell (equivalent in size to a Countryman) and larger than a Clubman.

Few items mished and mashed:

• Entering WRC with a Countryman-based racer will absolve a lot of the Countryman’s sins. Having MINI in WRC in any form is a great halo to the entire product line, in fact. The R53 JCW (FWD and all) has done fantastic in Targa Newfoundland over the years. That isn’t WRC level of competition, but it is a pretty serious rally nonetheless with some well-funded cars.

• Broadspeed coupe… love this news as the more hard core and unique looking the better, as far as I’m concerned. The CRX was a fantastic car that was head-and-shoulders above the Civic Si in looks, driving feel, and interior styling. No reason MINI can’t shoot for this degree of distinction with the Broadspeed.

• Pricing… the famous-for-a-reason early 1990′s CRX was quite affordable, but it WAS about 15% more expensive than the Civic Si coupe, the closest competitor. Money well spent, mind you, but still a bit more money than the regular hatch. So I do expect the Broadspeed to sell for more than the Cooper S or JCW. I just hope MINI keeps the pricing “reasonable”.

• Z2… I hope this comes to fruition at BMW and look forward to more info on bimmerfile. It will potentially steal away a lot of the hard core MINI enthusiasts if the price is right for just one reason alone: RWD. :)

As lava says, not only is the Focus RS (an amazing car for sure) a size class up, it is also far heavier – 500 lbs heavier. The mazdaspeed3 is an outright porker too, also more than 3200lb of mass and a mile long! Putting the Focus RS aside (since it is an amazing hatch by any measure but not sold in Canada or US), there is no comparison in driving feel between the much-hyped mazdaspeed3 and the JCW MINI, even in R56 form. 500lb is masked during acceleration by high HP, but it can’t be masked from transitional handling or overall vehicle feel. You want bragging rights in “magazine racing”, sure, more HP is always helpful… but you want to smile every time you weave around a pothole, hook a very tight corner or even make a quick lane change? Then you’ll be wanting light weight and a short wheelbase.

John, as much as it pains me, I have to agree with Lavadera–the Ford Focus RS is in a whole different class; that car is a beast and compares more with STI’s and EVO’s than MINI’s. One reasons we probably won’t ever see the RS in the U.S.: Price. My friend is a Ford dealer, and he’s been told that one of the hangups for bringing the RS across the pond is that people in the U.S. aren’t going to pay in the 40 grand range for a Focus–the feeling is it’s unlikely that the car will be appreciated for what it is over here–which is a shame, because I’ve read nothing but fantastic reviews about it.

The thing with the MINI, and what makes it so fun, is that it doesn’t NEED a ton of horsepower to keep up with cars with considerably more HP–it just needs to be driven well. I really don’t want it to compete with a Focus RS, at least from a HP aspect, would totally change the character of the car for me…

Just would like a small bump in HP, trust me I would never expect a 300 hp Mini yet would not mind ~250 with a wall of torque. Though I would take a car with considerable weight savings, a sports tuned suspension, and great brakes over one with just more power. While its true that great performance in the corners is a nice thing on the track being able to stick to higher output cars on the straight a few more ponies would not hurt.

009 Lotus Elise Enthusiest 44k. 0-60 4.9 seconds. Best looking sports car on the road. Better knock it out of the park Mini in price, performance and looks.