BMW News

Mini officially unveiled the new John Cooper Works GP in May, but has yet to release any official specs or details about the limited-production model. But MotoringFile.com stumbled upon some leaked spec sheets for the European version of the car, which were relayed to Autoblog. U.S. specs are due later this month.

The John Cooper Works GP is already known to be 19 seconds a lap quicker around the Nurburgring, but the question is how? According to the MotoringFile data, the new Mini GP will produce 218 horsepower and up to 206 pound-feet of torque, using overboost. It weighs about 100 pounds less than a 2012 Mini Cooper JCW, does 0-60 in 6.3 seconds and has a top speed of 150 mph.

The Mini GP has been upgraded with a better suspension and brake system, reportedly a set of fully adjustable coilovers with an aggressive negative-camber front and rear setup to go with special  Kumho sport tires. For improved braking, the Mini GP upgrades to six-piston front calipers, and aerodynamics have been addressed with a belly pan beneath the engine, a rear diffuser and a rear spoiler.

Word has it that the new JCW GP will be limited to just 2,000 units, and who knows how many will come stateside? They'll be easy to spot though. All of the new Mini JCW GP cars will be two-seaters, painted in Thunder Grey Metallic and fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.––Paul Duchene