Potent Mini Cooper JCW revealed ahead of Nurburgring 24h

The hot Mini John Cooper Works has been revealed in racing prototype form ahead of competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours next weekend.

The road-going model is based on the fresh Mini, and will be unveiled in full later this year. Here’s everything we know so far.

Mini JCW fast facts

• Will make its debut at the Nurburgring 24h race
• Sportier styling cues obvious
• Chassis and suspension upgrades
• Offers an alternative to the Golf GTI
• Production variants to be revealed in the autumn

Mini JCW styling

The version you see here will be the car competing in the upcoming Nurburgring 24 Hours, but despite the camouflage it’s obvious to pick out some notable differences between the JCW and the standard Mini.

Up front, there’s a much beefier grille, while the bumper also incorporates air intakes. The body kit is noticeably chunkier too, while at the rear there’s a diffuser and a spoiler on the roof.

Mini JCW interior and tech

There’s been no official photos of the interior, but we can expect the JCW to utilise the same dashboard and tech as the standard Cooper. That means a spherical 9.5in infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard.

There’ll be sports seats and JCW-specific trim no doubt – we’ll bring you full details on the interior and specs as soon as they are confirmed.

Mini JCW powertrain

Again, specs for the road-going version are to be confirmed, but we can expect a reworked version of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol car that featured in the previous JCW.

We reckon it’ll produce around 250hp – enough to give a Volkswagen Golf a run for its money. As with all JCW cars, the suspension and chassis has been honed and reworked to ensure the car is as nimble and driver-focused as possible.

From 2025, there’ll also be an electric JCW to choose from. Specs for this model haven’t been announced, but expect it to get similar levels of power to the 2.0-litre petrol – perhaps a little more.

Mini JCW release date

Competing in the SP 3T class at next weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours, the new JCW will be revealed in full production form towards the end of the year. We expect deliveries to commence in late 2024/early 2025.

If you can’t wait until then, you can check out and compare prices on Mini vehicles that are available to lease right now by clicking here.