MINI Countryman WRC Caught Testing in Portugal
The Countryman WRC testing continues as this week the team is in Portugal working on the gravel set-up. We love the sound (yes that is based off of the 1.6L found in the JCW) and love to see this thing finally launching itself through the forest. We’ll be seeing a lot more of these kind of videos over the next six months as Prodrive gears up for a full assult on the WRC in the middle of next year. (more video after the break)
<p>This is absolutely, BY FAR, one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life. Now I’m pumped. Like, really pumped.</p>
<p>That sound is SO AWESOME!!</p>
<p>Sounds like a rally car</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see WRC next year with the increased numbers of manufactures that are going to be racing. Should be a lot of good races, let just hope that this Pro-drive car in MINI clothing can pull off a good season.</p>
<p>Very sweet footage.
The turbo spooling a few times there made me want a new Countryman even more!!!</p>
<p>That vented hood should be on every “S” model instead of the scoop to nowhere.</p>
<p>Remember when everyone on this site was against the Countryman? Funny.</p>
<p>Interesting vid. Two things I learned: They’re going to eat a lot of front end plastic, and the back of this car is gonna get real dirty too! Just like the street cars!</p>
<p>Matt</p>
<p>This car is a monster..</p>
<p>Notice the front passenger lip did not last long, marko bashing it on the ridge.</p>
<p>Sounds like a Rally car to me.</p>
<p>I must admit I was skeptical when I first heard MINI was serious about the Countryman. But, after seeing this, I think a “bigger MINI” is worth it if they race it.</p>
<p>Still think a SUV/CUV has no part being labeled a MINI personally. I still will never accept them personally as anything other than a distraction to the original core brand values. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but as long as they are trashing much of everything Issigonis stood for they might as well just give up on the rest of the historical precedence and just turn out a myriad of models like BMW does with no attempt to drag any part or portion of the former Mini brand onto the current generation.</p>
<p>This is a rally car so actually closer related to other WRC cars than to the R60. Looking at the performance, look, and sound of this development as a reason to buy a R60 is laughable. The eventual MINI WRC kit is likely to be a jcw engine with stickers. The R60 and the Pro-Drive car are even further apart than the MC-40 and MINI race cars.</p>
<p>. . . just wondering. What kind of tranny/gearbox/shifter system does this car likely have?</p>
<p>sounds and looks awesome… now i just need to find 500k somewhere… would this be street legal?</p>
<p>Only if your streets are on private property!</p>
<p>Matt</p>
<p>Hanging a hat on what Issigonis may have stood for to carry a flag against a MINI SUV/CUV is in my view a pourous argument.</p>
<p>The last production car I believe Issigonis designed was the Austin Maxi, a 5 door hatchback and assumably one of the largest and heaviest cars he designed.</p>
<p>The R60 also has 5 doors and is definitely the largest and heavisest MINI that will be in production.</p>
<p>Whether we can fit the Austin Maxi in the glove compartment of a R60 or not, there needs to be at least a historical acknowledgement that Sir Alec’s final design was significantly heftier in curb weight (by ~50%) than the original Mini.</p>
<p>By weight, I do not believe the R60 is more than 25% or so heavier than the orginally MINI (someone here can probably validate that…).</p>
<p>Maybe my comparison is not fair given the differences in time/brands, but I would like to think Sir Alec would at least appreciate the innovation and efficiency the Countryman will bring to the SUV/CUV market segment.</p>
<p>I hear your points Captain. Still have to point out the difference of designing a four door hatchback vs a SUV/CUV are very different animals. Issigonis designed several larger cars even before the Mini, yet even with the Maxi he realized that it wasn’t a Mini. MINI on the other hand believes that there are no size limitations to what a MINI is. The current MINI brand has only the slightest touch that links it with Mini. No doubt caused by the fact that Mini was never a brand and that MINI is a brand.</p>
<p>Innovation?? Small SUVs/CUVs have been already under production long before the R60 comes to market. BMW loves living under the concept that they are creating a new item while largely being ignorant that its not the case.</p>
<p>Still doesn’t mean that I will not enjoy the WRC runs (heck I might even get to see a R60 wrapped around a tree). Just doesn’t mean every brand on earth needs a SUV. Enough said on that though.</p>
<p>Does want.</p>
<p>@ Captain & JonPd – Issigonis worked for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) not Mini. The previous car he designed before Mini was the Morris Minor. With the success of the Mini, he continued on with the Austin/Morris 1100 saloon, the Austin/Morris 1800, then followed the Austin Maxi. These models were not big Minis. You can check this on Wikipedia.
What BMW have done with MINI is made a BRAND out of a MODEL.</p>
<p>The Countryman WRC foretells serious plans for a very serious performance Road version in the near future.
It sounds like a plastic bag full of bees.
Stay tuned for the Paris Motorshow.</p>
<p>bluseke,</p>
<p>Two possibilities on transmission.</p>
<p>1) A sequential cassette transmission similar to what is on a motorcycle. Pattern R-1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-1-R.</p>
<p>2) Prodrive built their own H pattern sequential transmission they used on the Subaru rally cars. It allowed them to go from any gear directly to Reverse and then start out again in 1st. This was a big time saver when a car would spin and be nose into the ???. The drivers would flip a switch on the dash and go instantly into reverse back out then hit the gear lever for 1 st and drive off.</p>
<p>Second choice is the best but very expensive. I heard $100K 10 years ago. Maybe less now due to more production. First choice would be $10K and very reliable.</p>
<p>f*$k yeah! … best stuff I’ve seen on MF in years! ;)</p>
<p>and Herr26, you have my attention.</p>
<p>So, does anyone here have information regarding the color scheme?</p>
<p>Can we hope for red body, white roof? :-)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36795239@N08/3566631978/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.flickr.com/photos/36795239@N08/3566631978/</a></p>
<p>Greg that was kinda my point is that Mini was never a brand while MINI is a brand. Hence why the historical precedence may not actually be all that great.</p>
<p>Herr26 – just what we need. The highest performance vehicle from MINI to be a SUV/CUV. Meanwhile the jcw R56 remains not much above a bad joke. Guess I shouldn’t be surpised by this move from Bigger Motor Works and the ///Mom division that has fallen in love with performance SUV/SAVs. My guess for Paris though would be the R60 based two door hatch that we have seen.</p>
<p>Great Video. My ears hurt! Looked like a lot of fun. Congrats MINI !</p>
<p>This is just sick. Makes me want a countryman real bad. Too bad they can’t make em sound like this stock. I am sure that one has some beefed up engine parts including internals and turbo along with porting and polishing……………….. and no catalytic converters!!!!!! Sounds BA for sure, can’t wait to get one.</p>
<p>Cooooooool!</p>
<p>Is there a JCW kit yet for the countryman??</p>
<p>Interesting James – thanks!</p>
<blockquote>The Countryman WRC foretells serious plans for a very serious performance Road version in the near future… Stay tuned for the Paris Motorshow.</blockquote>
<p>I am tuned. I hope you are not toying with us, Herr.</p>
p>@JonPD</p
<p>As I remember the Countryman is NOT registired as a SUV. Further more it is the community that say it is a SUV not MINI them self. I don’t understand all the negativaty, it’s still smaller than a VW golf! But MINI is also planning to make a real small MINI but some of you guys have to accept that we live in different times and duo to savety regulation and the wishes of the customers a car can’t be the same as the original! But all of this is my humble oppinion.</p>
<p>“Is there a JCW kit yet for the countryman??”</p>
<p>Who cares about a JCW kit. How about a ProDrive kit? How about a ProDrive AWD hatch? N ow that would really be something.</p>
<p>Looks and sounds like an angry yellow jacket, Great Stuff!!
By the way I get a little tired of the JCW bashing. I have an 09 JCW and enjoy the heck out of it. It’s worth every penny spent.</p>
<p>“sounds and looks awesome… now i just need to find 500k somewhere… would this be street legal?”</p>
<p>I’m guessing it would be until they caught you.</p>
<p>@ Paris MINI will officially announce the WRC programme. The Main Concepts will of course be the MINI-E Scooters.</p>
<p>All this on the back of that the MINI Countryman has sold out for the rest of the year.</p>
<p>I’m a bit late to the convo, but what if the Paris secret is a production-ready Beachcomber? THAT would be boss!! i may be dreaming, but I’d love to see that.</p>
<p>Nick, glad you enjoy your car. I think MINI owners from MINI One to jcw convertible drivers love their cars, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>However I think the market has spoken cleanly with the fact the MINI missed the mark with the JCW factory brand. The base proof of this is just how few of the cars have sold. This doesn’t mean that you can’t feel that the money for the car is great however many felt a little let down.</p>