Report: Mini Cooper World Championship 50 headed for U.S. with brand's biggest-ever price tag

If you aren't sitting down, you'll want to grab a chair. According to MotoringFile, Mini is set to bring its World Championship 50 model to a neighborhood near you – at least if you happen to live within spitting distance of one of the few Mini dealers quick enough to raise their hand for one of the scant crop of cars headed to the United States. Originally, the company had no plans to bring any of the 250 special edition units to this side of The Pond, but demand was evidently high enough to warrant 50 of them making their way to the American market.

The World Championship 50 starts its life as a run-of-the-mill John Cooper Works, which means it packs 208 horsepower from a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, brakes capable of stopping a 747 and a suspension that's chock-full of race ready bits. The WC50 package adds in a unique Connaught green paint and different trim throughout the car.

Cool? Sure, but even Fonzie couldn't command the $40,300 that Mini will reportedly be asking for the WC50. Yes, that includes destination fees, but there are plenty of cars out there for that kind of money that would embarrass the JCW around a track any day of the week. In other words, this one's for collectors.

[Source: MotoringFile]