With hot hatches, especially small ones, now so thin on the ground, news of another Mini JCW with a petrol engine feels very welcome indeed. The fact was confirmed back in May; now we know that the reveal of the latest John Cooper Works is coming ‘in fall 2024’. Given it’s September next weekend (sorry to remind you), hopefully that isn’t far away.
Mini still isn’t giving much away for now, only suggesting that the new car will offer an engine ‘that delivers relentless power and a chassis tuned for precision.’ Which sounds like a good combination for a fast Mini to boast, especially as the previous gen JCW - even with a manual gearbox, then even as a 300hp auto GP - never quite gelled as a package. Certainly they weren’t quite as riotously entertaining as previous versions boasting 200hp and up were.
Perhaps the involvement of Bulldog Racing (the team that built the class-winning Mini at this year’s very short Nurburgring 24 Hours) will help bring the JCW to life. Mini has shown its willingness to collaborate with Bulldog thanks to the two-seat special edition shown last year; now it says the involvement of a motorsport outfit has been ‘instrumental in ensuring that the new JCW models meet the rigorous demands of both the racetrack and the road.’ So that’s encouraging, for sure.
Bulldog has also been lending a hand with the electric JCW that’s coming, Mini suggesting that both ICE and EV have been ‘meticulously engineered to deliver the unmistakable JCW experience, characterized by sharp handling, impressive acceleration, and an unwavering connection to the road.’ While it would appear that the new Cooper SE works very well as a small EV, it’s perhaps missing a bit of fast Mini pizzazz - let’s hope the JCW can deliver it.
With the petrol powered JCW PROtotype having done the business at the Nordschleife and the the electric equivalent run up the Goodwood hill, there really isn’t much more to know now than the outputs and final appearance. Might these be the JCWs to properly reestablish the Mini as a hot hatch great?
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