Mini JCW GP Pack now an option on JCW

John Cooper Works model receives a few aesthetic tweaks inspired by Mini's 306hp range-topper

By Sam Sheehan / Wednesday, 10 June 2020 / Loading comments

For those who like the look of the Mini GP but can't justify the 306hp range-topper, BMW’s British brand has launched a new GP Pack for the JCW that helps to bridge the gap. It’s a purely aesthetic bridge, but one said to inject Mini’s 231hp front-driver with added “race track flair” – largely in the form of contrasting colour bits set against a Racing Grey metallic paintjob. Think of it as Mini’s slightly more vibrant version of M-Sport trim.

The GP Pack shade of paint – which is the same as the GP’s – is topped by a roof finished in Melting Silver metallic, while the John Cooper Works-spec rear spoiler and mirror caps are also this colour. Like the proper GP, the JCW GP Pack gets a black engine intake, door handles and fuel cap, while the 18-inch rims now feature a GP badge. The headlight surrounds are piano black, while the innards of the front and rear light cluster are also black to match, as are the Mini badges.

Inside, you get GP-badged sill plates, GP badges on the JCW leather Dinamica sports seats and the same on the floor mats, to really hammer the link home. There’s red stitching, the steering wheel gets Mini’s plush Walknappa leather as standard and the 3D printed dash centre is finished in red, but the rest is as before – which is to say really rather nice. Cars fitted with the optional eight-speed Steptronic gearbox also get a GP logo on their metal, wheel-mounted shift paddles. And that’s it.

No changes are made to the rest of the cabin, or tthe JCW’s chassis and 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, so this is really just a change of accessories for Mini’s Oxford-built hot hatch. In truth, that’s no bad thing given how capable and rounded the car is in standard tune. It’s no secret that plenty of Mini buyers choose their car because of the way the model looks though, so heightening the appeal with some racey bits is a not unsurprising Mini tactic that ought to lure in a few more customers.

While it’s not actually been confirmed for Britain yet, the demand here means it's very likely to make the options list in the coming weeks. Mini’s slowly returning to its own ‘new normal’ in the UK, with the company’s production plant re-opening in the latter days of last month, after two months of being closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.

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