One of the most highly anticipated cars from MINI this year is the upcoming John Cooper Works GP hatch, a car that is supposed to be a rare sighting around the world. Scheduled for a premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, the upcoming special edition will become the most powerful hatch MINI ever made and will be built in limited numbers. All things considered, the price tag was announced this week and it’s definitely not going to be cheap.
The new MINI John Cooper Works GP model will start at $45,750 and that price tag puts it in a league of its own, compared to its rivals. Of course, the performance should also be quite a step up compared to cars like the Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTi, all of those having about 100 HP less by comparison. Furthermore, none of them are of the premium variety and that’s also something people take into account when buying a car.
The thing is, at that price tag, this will be the most expensive car MINI sold in the US, ever. Chip in the fact that only a few thousand will be made in the first place and this car might be bought by some for a place in a nice, cozy collection. Whether it will become a future collectable remains to be seen but the specs do tell a pretty picture. With over 300 HP under the hood and weighing a bit over 1 ton, this should be a really fun little car.
The looks of the car will also be outlandish with a lot of aero bits dominating the exterior design. There will be an added spoiler up front and a huge wing at the back, new add-ons for the fenders and a couple of interesting color choices. Unfortunately, the car will only be available with an automatic gearbox and I’m sure some people will be disappointed in that decision.
