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We've had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a few MINI variants, including a 2007 Cooper S and more recently a 2008 Cooper Clubman. Despite some quirky interior design cues and limited practicality, it's hard not to love the MINI for its superb handling and slick-shifting transmission. Still on our to-do list, however, was to experience some of the John Cooper Works options that were absent on our previous test cars. Fortunately we were able to schedule a short drive with a 2008 MINI Cooper S with a few select JCW options. Are the upgrades worth the price of admission? Read on...

All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

The MINI franchise is finally facing some stiff competition in the compact performance segment, particularly abroad where buyers can now get their retrotastic kicks in the 180-hp Fiat Punto Abarth SS or the Clio Renaultsport 197. It's been simply a matter of time before MINI let loose the John Cooper Works team again on the new R56 Cooper S, and the fruits of their underground labors have been caught on the Nurburgring in the form of a Stage II version of the R56 Cooper S JCW package.

Sporting a set of 18-inch rollers pilfered from the JCW GP Limited Edition Cooper S, this test mule also receives a set of upgraded brakes, a JCW-spec sports suspension package and a restyled aero kit. A proper tune of the turbo'd 1.6-liter mill, coupled with a new JCW exhaust, is expected to bring output up from to around 215 horsepower.

Expect the JCW-massaged version of the Cooper S to debut in Geneva next year, with sales beginning later in '08.

[Source: World Car Fans]