At least according to the Times UK.
>Of course, you can respond in different ways to a car’s prevalence. You can get all sniffy about it and run in the opposite direction, with your chin haughtily aloft. Or, on the contrary, you can embrace the popularity, warmly acknowledge the taste and wisdom of your peers with regard to what is by any standards a design classic, and look forward to the chummy comfort, as you go about your business, of offering your fellow Mini owners a flick of the headlights or a comradely wave. (You could always stick a plastic hand in the windscreen when the frequency of this became irksome.)
Worth a read for the writing style alone. That and no complaints about the ride or the interior. Watch for Gabe’s review later this week.
[ Speed, style, snob value: this unique Mini has the works ] Timesonline.co.uk
“here are some of the things that your Mini John Cooper Works has that your estate agent’s Mini probably hasn’t: racing trim, a rear spoiler, an air-intake in the bonnet the size of the lid of a swing-bin, and more chrome trimmings than you generally see anywhere outside of a bathroom catalogue.”
That article was less accurate than most. More chrome trimmings? How does the amount of chrome on the JCW differ from the choices of a standard Cooper or Cooper S? Same for the size of the air intake in the bonnet line.
Not so much snob value, but exclusive.
Old Classic Mini Cooper was an exclusive model for those willing to shell out the extra cost. The rich, the famous, and budding racing drivers wanted one. Mini Cooper took over from British Sports Cars like MG, Triumph, Sunbeam as the sporty car to have. Because of the low volume, those cars still running or restored are worth a small country’s GDP. Why? because of the limited production and the racing pedigree.
Whereas, new MINI Cooper is an un-exclusive model driven by people who are too preoccupied to wave or flash headlights, and have no interest in joining a car club. Its only a method of getting from A to B for those stereotypes. Most drivers do not think the name Cooper represents anything other than model designation.
Excellent London review. Almost wants you to move there….As far as the Air Intake goes…there is a different, as I have the JCW Air Intake on my 2006 MCS and the difference is night and day from the intake on the “S”, plus about 7 or 8 more HP…..It was well worth the extra $$$ believe me!!!!!
Craig, the ’09 JCW uses the base/STOCK R56S Intake [!!!] … NOT the JCW Stage 1 Intake … !!! Exclamations not aimed at you, but rather the audacity of Mini/BMW to charge us close to $7K more for the base vehicle, and not give us the Stage 1 Intake.
Talking about paragraph sentences…
so can a JCW or aftermarket air intake be installed on a factory JCW? Hard to believe it only stock!