New MINI Gets Beefed Up Bodykit By John Cooper Works

It may only be a couple of months since the official announcement of the second-generation "Mk.II" New MINI, but its ramping up to be one of this years biggest launches. It may look the same, but the new car is fundamentally different, with the book on its powertrain, suspension, and interior re-written.

Under the hood are new engines mated to new gearboxes, while the suspension has been tweaked to be more supple over bumps and the steering rack lightened for easier in-town driving.

And the interior? The circular-themed cabin has received a massive boost in quality through more expensive materials and a larger selection of fabrics and accent trim. It may not surprise you to find that the motoring press who have driven the new MINI have once again fallen head over heels in love with the little British minicar, but what might surprise you is that its already been subject to modifications.

As with before, the MINI will be sold in a variety of trim levels, ranging from the base One (not sold in North America), to the Cooper (our base), to the go-fast Cooper S. But for all those that deem the Cooper S insufficiently quick, there have been delays with some of the tuners. Unlike the current first-generation car, which was tuned by dozens upon dozens of companies (Hartge, Digitec, BRM, etc.), the new S with its 1.6-liter inline-four boosted by a dual-scroll turbocharger has proven to be difficult to crack. It appears that BMW and the engines co-developers, PSA Peugeot-Citroen didnt want too many people tinkering around with the turbines, so theyve basically kept the ECU under lock and key. Even officially, though, this new setup has proven to be tedious for those developing it. Insiders say that the official John Cooper garage is having to go through quite an ordeal in order to work around the much more complex engine. An official hopped-up car wont be ready until 2008, but when it arrives it should be capable of producing more power.

In the meantime, BMW has released a set of non-performance upgrades for the new MINIs, done by the original MINI tuner John Cooper Works. The red car with the black and white stripes you see in these photos isnt the S Works model, even if the license plate says "W10 RKS", but rather, its just an S model with a new body kit. On the list of visual upgrades are new wheels, a roof-mounted aluminum and carbon fiber spoiler, a new front valance with larger integrated foglamps, a deeper chin spoiler and a rear bumper that incorporates a mock diffuser. Theres also a couple of little trinkets, including carbon fiber effect finish for the side-view mirrors, turbocharger intake and rear hatchback. The muscle to back up these beefed up appearances might not have yet arrived, but as a starting point the Cooper S Works sure looks the business.

Pricing for the new MINI has yet to be announced in North America, but when it arrives in the first quarter of 2007, the base Cooper should start at roughly $20,000.