MINI John Cooper Concept Car Revealed

Mini displayed a new John Cooper concept car at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. This concept car displayed a GP product badge, an emblem that indicates a car that’s a step above the normal John Cooper grade, and has previously only been used once, in 2013, indicating that the Mini Cooper hardtop was at the end of its design cycle.

A New Mini Cooper Minimalist Style

MINI John Cooper Concept Car Revealed

This John Cooper Works GP is also a hardtop, but it features minimalist styling, with a more aggressive flare than previous John Cooper Works models. The body has been widened, there are front and rear fascias, and a prominent racing-inspired rear spoiler. The lightweight, multi-spoke wheels are 19 inches in diameter. The John Cooper Works GP features the racing number 0059, a reference to 1959, the year the first Mini was designed and produced.

So far, interior details are scant. Mini has shown that the John Cooper Works GP has paddle shifters on the steering column, with no central gear box. The stripped-down interior features bucket seats and a roll cage, but little else. This gives the John Cooper Works GP concept car a serious racing-focused feel.

Whats Under The Hood?

Little is known yet about the details under the hood. There’s likely to be a turbocharged inline-4 mounted up front, allowing the car to reach power somewhat higher than recent John Cooper Works vehicles, which top out at 228 hp.

More To Come From John Cooper

The new John Cooper Works GP wasn’t the only vehicle introduced by the company at Frankfurt. They also unveiled a new electric consumer car, based on the hardtop Mini E electric, whose design was leased by the BMW group last year to garner public feedback on the design. The BMW group has already released the i3, but public demand for electric vehicles is increasing. An all-electric Mini is expected to be released in 2019. Technical details have yet to be released, but it’s expected to have a single electric motor and over 200 miles of range.