“The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept is all about the unfettered feeling of driving and levels of performance found in motor sport competition.”Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG
Significantly wider than the current MINI, the design study exudes aggression and power. Large front and rear aprons, side skirts and a prominent roof spoiler create an impressive appearance. The use of lightweight materials including carbon fibre optimises the car’s power-to-weight ratio. And evenly balanced weight distribution adds o the MINI’s signature go-kart feeling.
“If you know about MINI, you’ll be aware of the brand’s long and successful history in motor sport,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept brings together the full suite of defining MINI design features and showcases them at their sportiest and most exciting. What we’re looking at here is maximum performance, maximum MINI.”
All the elements of the interior are driver focused. The display and control concept with digital instrument cluster and Head-Up Display places the relevant information for the situation at hand directly in the driver’s eye-line, allowing absolute focus on the road to be maintained. Interaction between driver and car is otherwise digital, notably touch-control adjustment of suspension settings in MINI’s familiar central instrument. As digitalisation dictates, the display here is now in large-screen format. It is left to the large emergency cut-off button and the traditional MINI toggle switches with start/stop button to provide a bridge between the digital and analogue worlds.
The design is unmistakably inspired by motor racing and promises to deliver an authentic, unadulterated and intense race feeling. Together with the turbocharged engine and suspension technology designed for use on the race track, the exterior and interior of the concept study form a precisely harmonised overall package for thrilling performance.
Compact dimensions, short overhangs, large tracks, optimised weight, a low centre of gravity and a balanced axle load distribution are design principles that helped the classic Mini three achieve overall victories at the Monte Carlo Rally along with other legendary motor racing triumphs five decades ago. The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept combines these principles with large front and rear aprons, aerodynamically optimised side sills and a striking roof spoiler. The extremely sporty style of the exterior design is underscored with a body finish in Black Jack Anthracite enhanced by accentuations in Curbside Red metallic and Highspeed Orange. The use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and other lightweight materials is clearly visible, too. The authentic character of the MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept is defined by perfect unity of form and function, with a design that promotes both performance qualities and a highly emotional look.
In the MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept, traditional racing expertise and progressive technology form the basis for passionate driving fun – on both race track and road. In the interior, the roll-over cage, bucket seats, a puristically designed cockpit and the lack of a rear seat clearly indicate the sporty ambitions of the concept study. But this reduction to the absolute essentials is combined with state-of-the-art digitalisation, too: the MINI Head-Up Display facilitates concentration on what is happening on the road or race track, while the suspension settings can be adjusted by means of a touchscreen in the central instrument.
Δ