Filed under: Motorsports, Auction Action, MINI
eBay Find of the Day: MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE racer
Click above for a hi-res gallery of the MINI JCW CHALLENGE racer on eBay
There are a lot of one-make racing series' being held around the world using exotic equipment like Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeos and Ferrari F430 Challenges, but devastatingly fast as they are, none are as impossibly adorable as the MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE, rivaled only by the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse for go-fast cuteness. But while the series takes place in locations around the world, the U.S. series has yet to take off. For most American MINI racing enthusiasts, that will mean holding out a while longer to get their hands on the hottest MINI yet. But at least one sufficiently motivated buyer can have one now.
This solitary American example was privately imported by a buyer in California, who drove it for two hours around Infineon Raceway at Sears Point before deciding to put it up on eBay. The car's features a full race package, including 17" Borbet alloys, adjustable competition-spec suspension and aero kit, electronic telemetry system, AP Racing brakes, competition exhaust, fire suppression system, Recaro buckets with 6-point harnesses and more. Of course, the car is in no way street legal, but it can be had for a Buy-it-Now price of $64,900. Act fast, though... the auction ends today.
Gallery: MINI JCW CHALLENGE racer on eBay
[Source: eBay via MotoringFile]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kattleox 9:38AM (12/31/2008)
As great as this car is, I'll take the Abarth any day: It is the only car that has as many pictures of it being airborne as it does on the ground. So long as fiat actually comes to America...
Reply
sanimalp 10:56AM (12/31/2008)
I know there is a ferrari f430 racing series called the f430 challenge series, but there is not a Ferrari called the f430 challenge.. i believe the author meant to write the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, with no f.
Reply
Mancini 1:33PM (12/31/2008)
Actually the author is correct. The car used in the race series is called the F430 Challenge. The street version is the Challenge Stradale.
The 430 Scuderia is just a leaner and meaner street model similiar to the Challenge Stradale.
I wonder why the Mini is being sold so quickly. Must not meet his expectations....
sanimalp 4:15PM (12/31/2008)
Actually, the Challenge Stradale is the race version of the 360. There is a Ferrari 360 race series called the 360 challenge, and a race influenced street car called the 360 Challenge Stradale. That is where the authors confusion came from.
Both race series are the "Ferrari 360 Challenge" or the "Ferrari f430 Challenge".
The race influenced street cars are the "Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale" and the "Ferrari 430 Scuderia".
The article seems to be ambiguous, because it cites "exotic equipment like Porsche 911 GT3 cups," instead of "exotic equipment like the[sic] Porsche 911 GT3, "
Visnick 11:40AM (12/31/2008)
A front wheel drive race car? Seriously?
Reply
zeugster 1:39PM (12/31/2008)
Yea, there are tons of front wheel drive race cars. Rally cars even. In fact, most people get their start in club racing with FWD. Not to mention some high profile series are full of them, the SCCA Speed World Challenge for example.
Just because the front wheels are doing all the work doesn't mean a car can't be fast and that kind of mentality reminds me of the '90's when Honda's started making a name for themselves and muscle car fanboys got threatened when they started going fast down the strip and not just around the track.