GP at MINI United

Apparently the GP was shown to MINI fanatics at MINI United last year!

(sorry, don’t remember where I found this pic now!)

GP owners manual online

Gabe Bridgers MotoringFile today put up a downloadable copy of the MCS JCW GP car manual (in four languages: German, English, Spanish and Italian).

Just in case it is taken down again, I’ve mirrored it.

Highlights include:
The MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Kit is a two-seated compact car. It combines lightweight construction, e.g. aluminium chassis components, with driving dynamism. Vehicle design centred on agile handling characteristics and high driving stability.

The ground effects result in considerably limited ground clearance.

Two additional storage compartments are underneath the luggage-compartment floor panel, right behind the seats.

Do not put the MINI COOPER S with John Cooper Works GP Kit through any automatic car wash, otherwise the rear
spoiler and tailgate will be damaged. Do not use a steam jet or high-pressure washer to clean the roof area carrying the serial number or the rear spoiler connection to the rear window, otherwise damage could occur.

Maximum speed 150 mph.

The GP booklet

I visited MINI of Peabody today and was given a couple of copies of the US MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works HP kit booklets, which I have scanned and put in a gallery:

The booklet describes the exterior (remodelled front and rear aprons, side skirts, new rear wing spoiler, 218 horsepower, 18″ light alloy wheels, thunder blue metallic paint with pure silver contrast roof), the interior (anthracite speedometer and rev counter dials with red needle), seating (Grey / Panther black cloth / leather with red stitching, adjustable thigh support, built-in heating, and no rear seats), equipment list (aero kit, a/c, DSC, JCW kit with 16″ breaks [sic], LSD, sports suspension, 18″ light allow rims, on-board computer, CD player radio with MFSW, anthracite interior) and technical data (weight 2649lb, max power 215hp+/-, max torque 180ft lbs @ 4500rpm, max speed >146, fuel consumption 24.7/38.0)

It’s interesting to compare this with the one from England – they are mostly identical but the English version has a few differences, including different units for the technical specs (218 hp UK compared with 215 SAE hp, 245 Nm torque UK compared with 180 ft lbs, etc).
Most significantly, the English car gets Recaro sports seats, not available in USA due to tighter airbag laws.

Also the English booklet doesn’t have the “breaks”/”brakes” typo!

Ferman MINI

While on vacation in Florida, I visited Ferman MINI; they had a poster I had not seen before about the GP:

MINI USA INVITES ALL MINI OWNERS AND ENTHUSIASTS ON A CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP BETWEEN MONTEREY AND LIME ROCK

This summer, the MINI Takes the States rally will begin in California following the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and end 3,123 miles across the country at the Lime Rock Vintage Festival in Connecticut

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 22, 2006… MINI USA today announced MINI Takes the States, a two-week cross country road trip open to MINI owners and enthusiasts that will kick off on August 21 at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in Monterey California and end on September 4 at the Lime Rock Vintage Festival in Lakeville, Connecticut.

MINI Takes the States is being held to celebrate MINI’s vibrant owner community, the launch of the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works Kit (“MINI GP”) and the fact that The Cooper Car Company is the featured marque at the Monterey weekend. In contrast to MINI’s size, the event has a cheeky, secondary tag line of “The 2006 MINI TransAmerican Motortastic Road Trip To End All Road Trips Rally”.