Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Endurance – Click above for high-res image gallery
We just had seat time in a pre-production 208-horsepower Mini John Cooper Works Coupe on a little 0.7-mile Austrian circuit. By now you've all seen the 2012 Cooper Coupe officially revealed and they're still popping up testing on public roads around the Nürburgring in slight camo mode.
Coincidence? Nay. This weekend – 25 and 26 June, 2011 – the 39th running of the wildly popular Nürburgring 24-hour race takes place. There will be 250,000 fans in attendance and they shall behold, among other things (barring the onset of beer goggles and thick barbecue smoke), this Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Endurance competing in the "SP 3T" class.
We were shown this wee beast in a secret tent off to the side during our recent Austria test, but now the truth can be told. This official factory effort by Mini Deutschland is Mini's world premiere in 24-hour endurance racing. Here's hoping it can handle the 14.2-mile Nürburgring-Nordschleife for a day in really fast traffic.
Click through the jump for more details and the official press release.
Mini is bringing to bear everything it has learned from the Mini Challenge series for the iconic hatchback, plus certain lessons from the fresh Mini Countryman WRC effort, when it comes to the JCW Coupe Endurance. First, to help make the long Antoniusbuche Straight that leads to the finish go by quicker, horsepower is nudged up to 247 hp and torque on tap from the twin-scroll turbo N14 1.6-liter four is now at 243 pound-feet. Meanwhile, as you can see, the car is stripped of all civilian amenities to reach a taut sub-2,200 pounds (versus the standard JCW at 2,735 lbs). The four chubby normal seats have been swept aside in favor of a single Recaro competition seat.
Helping matters in the longer bits where top speed is the goal is the flatter rake – by 13 degrees – of the Mini Coupe windshield. If oodles of downforce are called for, this special version of the JCW aerodynamics pack with big adjustable rear wing is there to glue it to the tarmac. When the turns arrive, the adjustable race suspension taken from the Mini Challenge racer takes over together with a race-tuned map for the Dynamic Stability Control suite of settings. There is Race ABS as on the Challenge cars as well.
Final flourish for the pits? Four-point integrated pneumatic jack tucked into the chassis. Schwing!
Any design comments regarding the street Coupe aside, this right here is how we want our Coupe.
The altogether tamer production Mini Coupe arrives in the States this October.
Born for the "Green Hell" adventure: The MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance.
Racing car celebrates world premiere in 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Motor sport is in the MINI genes. And now the carmaker is set to add a new chapter to its racing heritage with the arrival of the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance. The newly developed racer will line up at this year's 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit, previewing the series-production version of the car due to be unveiled to the public in autumn 2011.
With the participation of the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance, the Nürburgring 24-hour race will be staging an automotive world premiere for the first time in its history. At the same time, the extreme demands of the classic endurance event ensure the new MINI model will be given a baptism of fire.
MINI's declared aim in entering the Nürburgring 24-hour race is to experience the adventure of the "Green Hell", as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is affectionately known. And the brand has called, among other things, on the experience gained over many years of MINI Challenge sprint racing in the development of its new racing car for this unique event.
A pure-bred racing set-up will equip the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance for a full day lapping the combined Nordschleife/Grand Prix circuit at race speed. Providing the power is a specially-tuned version of the series- produced MINI John Cooper Works engine. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit – which boasts a twin-scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection – delivers 250 hp, and the Overboost function pushes peak torque up to 330 Newton metres. Top speed is in excess of 240 km/h.
The MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance sees the brand's customary go-kart feeling taken to a whole new level. The stiff race suspension ensures impressive roadholding and gives the driver constant, direct feedback from the road surface. Adjustable shock absorber units allow the suspension set-up to be adapted to fluctuating track conditions, a feature that will come in particularly handy at the Nordschleife.
The more steeply raked windscreen of the car's flat coupé silhouette sets it apart clearly from the Hatch and helps to minimise aerodynamic drag, which the drivers will acknowledge with a smile on the circuit's long straights. The John Cooper Works Aerodynamics Package further enhances the Coupé's already supreme handling; the front spoiler, rear diffuser and adjustable rear wing generate downforce, optimising the balance between the front and rear axle.
The MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance achieves an exceptionally high level of safety thanks to features including a roll cage welded to the body and a sports bucket seat with six-point safety belt and Formula One-style HANS (Head And Neck Support) system. When it comes to active safety, the car adopts the proven braking system with Race ABS from MINI Challenge racing and adds a specially tuned DSC dynamic control system, likewise optimised for the race track. Plus, in the interests of safety – and rapid pit stops – the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance is kitted out with an integrated pneumatic jack.
Racing car celebrates world premiere in 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Motor sport is in the MINI genes. And now the carmaker is set to add a new chapter to its racing heritage with the arrival of the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance. The newly developed racer will line up at this year's 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit, previewing the series-production version of the car due to be unveiled to the public in autumn 2011.
With the participation of the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance, the Nürburgring 24-hour race will be staging an automotive world premiere for the first time in its history. At the same time, the extreme demands of the classic endurance event ensure the new MINI model will be given a baptism of fire.
MINI's declared aim in entering the Nürburgring 24-hour race is to experience the adventure of the "Green Hell", as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is affectionately known. And the brand has called, among other things, on the experience gained over many years of MINI Challenge sprint racing in the development of its new racing car for this unique event.
A pure-bred racing set-up will equip the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance for a full day lapping the combined Nordschleife/Grand Prix circuit at race speed. Providing the power is a specially-tuned version of the series- produced MINI John Cooper Works engine. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit – which boasts a twin-scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection – delivers 250 hp, and the Overboost function pushes peak torque up to 330 Newton metres. Top speed is in excess of 240 km/h.
The MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance sees the brand's customary go-kart feeling taken to a whole new level. The stiff race suspension ensures impressive roadholding and gives the driver constant, direct feedback from the road surface. Adjustable shock absorber units allow the suspension set-up to be adapted to fluctuating track conditions, a feature that will come in particularly handy at the Nordschleife.
The more steeply raked windscreen of the car's flat coupé silhouette sets it apart clearly from the Hatch and helps to minimise aerodynamic drag, which the drivers will acknowledge with a smile on the circuit's long straights. The John Cooper Works Aerodynamics Package further enhances the Coupé's already supreme handling; the front spoiler, rear diffuser and adjustable rear wing generate downforce, optimising the balance between the front and rear axle.
The MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance achieves an exceptionally high level of safety thanks to features including a roll cage welded to the body and a sports bucket seat with six-point safety belt and Formula One-style HANS (Head And Neck Support) system. When it comes to active safety, the car adopts the proven braking system with Race ABS from MINI Challenge racing and adds a specially tuned DSC dynamic control system, likewise optimised for the race track. Plus, in the interests of safety – and rapid pit stops – the MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance is kitted out with an integrated pneumatic jack.
MINI Cooper Information
Featured Gallery Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Endurance Racer
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