MINI John Cooper Works Tuning Kit

We featured the Mini John Cooper Works Challenge racer last week, the MINI developed especially for the one-make race series that Australia will get a taste of in early 2008.

BMW has announced that the fun doesn’t have to stop with the Challenge racer and have made a John Cooper Works tuning kit available for MINI Cooper S owners in the UK.

Fitting the works kit sees the standard 1.6 litre twin-scroll turbo engine's output rise from 130Kw / 240Nm to 143Kw / 250Nm. As with the standard car the over-boost facility remains and allows for up to 270Nm under hard acceleration. The increased power and torque result in a 1-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of over 230km/h.

The works kit includes a sports exhaust system, a sports air filter as well as a revised engine management system. BMW claims that the kit is all about optimizing power efficiency and making the engine more free revving, which perhaps loosely translated means they have turned the boost up a tad…

Fitment of the kit includes John Cooper Works branding on the front grille and tailgate. If this isn’t enough then you can also opt for JCW 18-inch alloy wheels, an aerodynamic body kit as well as carbon-fibre trim and interior panel units.

It appears that this kit is currently only available in the UK and the likelihood of it becoming available in Australia is not yet known. Given that we will be seeing the Australian debut of this one-make race series in 2008, BMW may decide to make the kit available in this country.

UK MINI Cooper S owners will be able to add the aftermarket kit for £1,095 inc. VAT, plus approximately four hours fitting when it becomes available in September this year.

Steane