Feb 20th, 2013
This from the UK, Autocar has had a bit of fun pitting the new MINI JCW GP against a bonkers little kit Mini made out of racing bits and half a motorcycle. While one could hardly consider this a legitimate “comparison” it is a fun contrast between the two extremes of a track-only Mini mongrel and MINI’s self-described halo car. Video after the jump.
continued →
Feb 8th, 2013
This week I had the opportunity to not just drive the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works GP, but drive it on real, imperfect roads. Specifically, I was able to put the car through its paces on the narrow, rough mountain roads outside Ponce, in Puerto Rico. Gabe drove this limited edition car for the first time in Spain a few months back as part of the international product launch, but that was on the track (check out the video and written reviews). Impressive as the car was in that context, we both wondered what the car would be like in the wild. So we went to the twisting roads of Puerto Rico to find out.
continued →
Jan 23rd, 2013
If you want to know the current and future state of MINI, you go to the top. And that’s what we did at NAIAS in talking with Dr. Kay Segler. We spoke to Dr. Segler about everything – there was no subject off limits. We started with JCW and the proliferation of the brand throughout the MINI range. As it stands now there’s a JCW model for every MINI model. But Dr. Segler was quick to point out that that won’t always be the case and they want to build a strong sub-brand by keeping it perhaps a little more exclusive moving forward. Yet they also want to broaden the sales of the JCW style packages across the range – much like M has done so successfully for BMW. There’s also a hint of something interesting to come if you listen carefully.
continued →
Dec 24th, 2012
2012 was a busy year for MINI and MotoringFile. The Coupe and Roadster were brought to market, the GP and Paceman made their debuts, and the Countryman continued to sell well. So in an effort to recap some of our favorite moments of the year, we’re bringing you our favorite reviews of the year. The JCW Coupe vs the Abarth, the Roadster, our long-term Countryman and even the GP at the track, we’ve got it all after the break. continued →
Nov 28th, 2012
It’s not that relaunch of a Flash-less MINIUSA.com we’ve been waiting for but there is something new that’s worth noting. MINI has flipped the switch on the GP microsite which means the broader public can now order the car via phone. The will allow MINI to direct traffic from social media and potentially online advertising to a dedicated site meant to to extol all the virtues of the fastest MINI of all time. continued →
Nov 22nd, 2012
With the new GP, MINI followed a template created with the 2006 original. Crucially that meant starting with the standard MINI hatch as a basis for the new car. Yet we (and a number of our readers) have rightfully asked, why not the coupe? We posed that same question to MINI Design Chief Anders Warming, GP Product Manager Jorg Weidinger and the Head of MINI Marketing Dr. Kay Segler while in Mallorca test driving the car. The answer fell into two categories: expected and surprising.
continued →
Nov 16th, 2012
Previously on pre-sale only to current GP owners, the official MINI GP reservation line is now open, and we can finally share that number with you directly. So if you’re stomping at the imaginary gas pedal to get a JCW GP on order, now you know who to call.
