New Limited MINI With JCW Cooper GP Pack – Hot Sauce or Tomato Paste?

The recently introduced MINI JCW Works GP package gives the regular MINI Cooper JCW more aggressive looks, but what makes it so special?

The limited-edition MINI John Cooper Works GP is possibly the most raucous version of our favourite small car that has ever been approved for road use.

Limited to just 3,000 units worldwide, the Works GP is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine making 306 hp and 450 Nm of torque. Mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, the Works GP will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds and will keep accelerating to 265 km/h – undoubtedly giving cars like the Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS plenty to think about.

So naturally, when MINI announced the special edition Works GP pack, which decks out the more pedestrian MINI John Cooper Works variant to look the same, but without the additional hardware– are MINI just serving up tomato paste instead of the hot sauce everyone expects?

Well, just to be clear, the MINI John Cooper Works, or JCW for short, is no slouch either – with 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque, and a 6.1 second century sprint time right out of the box, the ‘regular’ MINI JCW is plenty of power in the right hands.

So what does the Works GP Pack bring to the game?

Well for starters, the trim package now unlocks the Racing Grey metallic paint for the JCW body, which is contrasted by Melting Silver metallic hue for the roof, rear spoiler, and mirror caps for that extra dose of flair. Elsewhere, the black engine bonnet scoop, black door handles and black fuel lid make their way onto the GP Pack JCW. Further down the 18-inch lightweight alloy wheels are fitted with “GP” badge on the centre caps, although the GP Pack doesn’t offer the same four-spoke rim design as the Works GP.

Other subtle highlights also include the Piano Black headlight surrounds, black MINI logo on the bonnet and tailgate, and “GP” logo on the entry strips. The keen-eyed will note that the front air dams in red and racecar-inspired rear spoiler are still reserved only for the Works GP model.

On the inside, the Works GP Pack introduces John Cooper Works sports seats in a Dinamica leather finish with the GP badge. The GP badge also makes its way onto the driver and front passenger mats, while the rear mats will feature red stitching. Perhaps the most interesting interior bits are the Walknappa leather steering wheel which features a 3D-printed metal marker at the 12 o’clock position, and shift paddles etched with a GP logo, also using a 3D printing process.

The Works GP pack will come factory fitted on specified JCW cars starting July 2020, so fingers crossed we catch one of these potent impostors prowling the roads of Malaysia soon.