Australian motoring site and friends of MotoringFile, Ausmotive.com, are reporting this morning that MOTOR Magazine has named the second generation JCW GP as the latest winner of their “Bang for your bucks” award. One judge called the GP the “best MINI I’ve ever driven, especially on a track.” We couldn’t agree more.
Head over to Ausmotive.com for their full take and some down under GP photos. You can also catch the full MINI Australia press release after the jump.
Since the release of the 2nd generation JCW GP we’ve been debating how it compares to the original. And while we’ve found that the new GP runs rings around the first generation on the road and track, the jury is still out on which actually looks better. So we wanted to take another look at both with back to back photos comparing details of both cars. Which one wins out? Lets hear it in the comments. continued →
MINI Product Manager Pat McKenna took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with us about a couple of the more debated topics on MF recently. First up the GP. More specifically what’s up with the waiver GP owners are having to sign? Then we talk GP sales and value for money.
Matt Prior and the team over at Autocar have whipped up a doozy of a JCW GP Review. Covering design, interior, performance, ride, costs and other criteria, it’s eight web pages full of GP scrutiny. The context: how would the new GP stack up against the old one?
Unlike the first GP MINI hasn’t gone to the same lengths in keeping non-owners from finding and buying the unique components of the car. This means that any one who owns a R5X MINI has some opportunity to customize their car with some of the relatively rare parts found on the fastest MINI ever made.
When MINI released the first GP any part associated with it could only be bought if you had an actual GP VIN. It was assumed this would be the case with new GP as well. But surprisingly longtime reader Karl Muller did some digging and was able to order perhaps the more interesting of all parts on the new GP – the rear diffuser. And perhaps most surprising it was not only easy but relatively cheap and simple to install.
EVO Magazine – perhaps our favorite car mag – not only got its hands on a JCW GP but managed to get it to a track and pit it against the best hot hatches from around the world. The results speak volumes of what we’ve been saying about the GP. After our reviews (track drive, video review, road review) we’ve been blown away by the performance and the feel of the thing. Tiff Needell and Richard Meaden seem to agree. In fact even the raw numbers give the GP the edge over the much more powerful 350 HP Focus RS or the AWD 256 HP Audi S1 hitting the highest top-speed and having the quickest time around the track.
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
Advertise with MotoringFile
If you or your company are interested in advertising on the most influential MINI website in the world, please visit our Advertising section. If you have further questions about becoming a sponsor or would like to see our rate sheet please feel free to contact us directly.
Sections: Awards, Best of the Web, In the Press, JCW GP May 14th, 2013 16 Comments 
