Mini John Cooper Works GP 2020: first images, specs and release date

Mini has announced that a limited-edition hardcore John Cooper Works GP hatchback is set to land in 2020.

The BMW-owned carmaker reserves the GP name for only its most track-focused hot hatchbacks, and the new third-generation model will be no exception.

Under the bonnet will sit a four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing in excess of 300bhp - enough power to match the performance figures of the radical GP Concept that debuted at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, notes Autocar.

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And the new model is expected to beat the lap time of eight minutes and 23 seconds set by its predecessor on Germany’s 12.9-mile Nurburgring circuit in 2012.

Mini has released a trio of images that give fans a sneak preview of the new car’s styling.

The snaps show that the hatchback will feature an intricate rear wing perched above the boot lid that has the GP logo engraved into the wing’s endplates.

The wing is also split down the centre, a feature that might provide an aerodynamic benefit.

At the back, a sizeable carbon fibre diffuser surrounds the car’s centre-mounted dual exit exhaust system.

The JCW GP also gets “classic” four-spoke wheels, with carbon-fibre wheel arches plucked from the 2017 GP Concept, reports Evo.

The cabin remains under wraps, but the magazine predicts that the interior will “do without many of the creature comforts found in current Mini John Cooper Works models”. The rear seats are also expected to be axed in order to cut the car’s weight.

Prospective buyers will need to be quick about getting to their nearest Mini dealer when orders for the JCW GP open next year, with only 3,000 examples of the track-honed hatchback to be produced.

Mini has yet to announce when the covers will come off the car, but industry experts expect the unveiling to take place at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, in September.