Mini has revealed another concept car ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show - and the new racing-inspired John Cooper Works GP suggests a high-performance version of the hatchback is in development.
In a bid to improve handling by reducing weight, says the magazine, Mini has “stripped back” the concept’s interior to its “bare essentials”. Only body-hugging bucket seats with five-point harness seatbelts are featured, in keeping with the GP’s race car styling.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, the company’s chief, said the GP “is all about the unfettered feeling of driving and levels of performance found in motor sport competition”.
“This is driving fun in its purest form,”, he added.
Unlike most concept cars, which often demonstrate a company’s new design ethos and rarely reach production, Autocar says this example could materialise as a limited-edition vehicle in 2019.
But this has yet to be confirmed by the BMW-owned company, which said it could “not confirm whether a series-production model of the GP will be launched in the future. This concept is a design study.”
The GP will appear at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week alongside the company's all-electric hatchback concept, revealed last week.
-
6 exquisite homes with vast acreageFeature Featuring an off-the-grid contemporary home in New Mexico and lakefront farmhouse in Massachusetts
-
Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
BMW iX3: a ‘revolution’ for the German car brandThe Week Recommends The electric SUV promises a ‘great balance between ride comfort and driving fun’
-
The best new cars for 2026The Week Recommends From SUVs to swish electrics, see what this year has to offer on the roads
-
BMW iX1 review: what the car critics sayThe Week Recommends BMW’s smallest electric crossover has ‘precise’ steering and a ‘smart interior’
-
BMW M3 Touring review: what the car critics sayfeature A sensational all-rounder, the car is ‘eye-wateringly, cheek-puffingly good to drive fast’
-
Mini 3-door hatch review: what the car critics sayfeature With its ‘go-kart handling’ the new Mini hatch is more fun to drive than ever
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listingsSpeed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
-
BMW X7: what the car critics sayfeature The X7, which starts from £77,030, is more engaging to drive than most huge SUVs
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequelSpeed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
