In yet another badly kept secret, Mini has released a sneak preview of the John Cooper Works concept which will be showcased in January at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. However it does look like a serious fashion statement, as opposed to a car in paisley pajamas on the back of a truck in some surburban highstreet, so Mini gets points for that.
Following the introduction of the modern third-gen Mini, the BMW-owned company is getting ready to diversify the lineup with the hotter JCW variant which will likely see the light of production day sometime in 2014. Before that, Mini will show a concept which will probably remain just about the same in production form.
The concept seenhere comes with a more aggressive body kit and has been painted in Bright Grey with red accents and rides on a fresh new set of 18-inch alloy wheels. Bold air intakes take up the space occupied by the fog lights in the regular version, a black surround of the front grille, contoured side skirts and a rear apron featuring flaps along with a diffuser.
There's also a roof spoiler and several body components created to channel more air around the C-pillars to improve the aerodynamic balance at high speeds. The production version will likely come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo developing somewhere in the region of 217 bhp.—Paul Duchene
