Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Fastest Mini Storms Ring

Mini has pulled the wraps off its fastest car yet. Although power and performance figures are yet to be released, the second-generation John Cooper Works GP has already posted an 8min 23sec Nordschleife lap time, 19sec quicker than the original GP, and a mere 6sec off the pace of the Renaultsport Megane R26.R, a former front-drive lap record holder.

The new GP continues in the same vein as its hardcore 2006 forebear, with its two-seat interior, four-spoke alloy wheels and grey and red colour scheme. It is notably more track-biased than before, though, with fully adjustable, race-derived suspension(with completely new springs and dampers compared with a regular JCW), bespoke Kumho tyres and focus on aerodynamics, with a sealed underbody and carbonfibre rear spoiler helping create genuine downforce.

The body kit is borrowed from Mini's Challenge racing car.The new car will use a tuned version of the 1.6-litre turbo four from current fast Minis, and the Ring time suggests it's likely to significantly trump the supercharged mk1 GP's 215bhp. Expect closer to 250bhp-and a price tag of around £30,000.

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