JCW - All the details - Australian Release

[eltel]

The official details about JCW availability and specifications, including pricing are now released.

John Cooper Works magic with MINI
07/23/2003



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Harder. Faster. Meaner.
Authentic flat-chat MINI Cooper tuning kits - direct from the men who devised the Mini race and rally champion of 40 years ago - are now available.

John Cooper Works is the spiritual home for MINI Coopers. So a performance boost from JCW is definitely in keeping with the long and proud Mini sporting heritage - no question.

The JCW MINI Cooper upgrade, available only from MINI Garages, boosts the standard Cooper's output to 93 kW, and the Cooper S to 147 kW (200 BHP).

Improved acceleration, swifter overtaking and higher max speed are the indisputable hallmarks of the John Cooper Works Team.

The result is JCW tuned car, which form the new pinnacle of MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S performance.

Fully compatible, developed, tested and durability checked and approved by MINI and BMW, the JCW Tuning Kit are no simple quick chip switch, but a complete cylinder head swap (including valve gear), as well as beefed up air box, exhaust system, and modified ECU.

Since the Tuning Kit meets internal BMW standards, it does not affect the standard MINI warranty.

Australians opt for the muscular MINI Cooper S in higher numbers than any other global market (in percentage terms), prompting MINI Australia to rush the JCW Tuning Kit to hard-core enthusiasts at top speed.

The kits have been on sale in the UK for a short time.

Fifty years of motor sport giant-killing experience, from Formula 1 to rallying, goes into every John Cooper Works MINI Cooper Tuning Kit.

It is a fitting tribute to the John Cooper legend. As the new MINI was readied for production in 2000, the "father of the Mini Cooper" himself had a hand in the development of the Tuning Kits everyone knew must surely come.

The ultimate in MINI Cooper performance, there is no loss of refinement, merely enhanced, thrilling driving dynamics, go-kart handling and ultra-responsive steering.

The JCW Tuning Kit for the MINI Cooper provides 93 kW of power at 5,950 rpm and 155 Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes just 8.9 seconds, while the 80 - 120 km/h in-gear time falls to 10.1 seconds. Top speed rises to 204 km/h.

For the already feisty MINI Cooper S, the JCW Tuning Kit delivers an extra 27 kW almost 1000 rpm higher up the rev range with 147 kW at 6,950 rpm, while mountainous torque, all 240 Nm of it, peaks at only 4,000 rpm.

The JCW Cooper S possesses slingshot acceleration, zooming to 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds, while the 80 - 120 km/h overtaking blast is achieved in a lightning-fast 5.6 seconds in fourth gear. Top speed is an impressive 226 km/h.

The JCW Tuning Kits cost $6,000 for the MINI Cooper and $9,600 for the Cooper S and include a certificate of authenticity. Each engine conversion carries a consecutively numbered badge.

For homologation reasons the kits are sold as one unit and not by individual components.

The JCW Tuning Kits are available from August 1st.

Note to Editors:

John Cooper Works is an independent partner with BMW AG in the provision of performance components. The JCW Tuning Kit components have satisfied BMW AG's strict durability and reliability requirements as well as undergone hot and cold weather testing.

JCW Tuning Kits in Detail

The John Cooper Works Tuning Kit is a thoroughly engineered package of performance enhancement designed to boost the MINI's grin per km quotient even higher.

Each JCW component is an integral part of the whole.

Matched and balanced, together they combine to deliver the thrilling performance and handling that hard-core MINI Cooper drivers expect, together with responsible fuel consumption, emissions and noise levels.

The JCW MINI Cooper Tuning Kit consists of a machined cylinder head with higher compression, modified ECU software as well as performance-oriented air filter and rear silencer.

The MINI Cooper S kit includes a new, more powerful supercharger and a modified cylinder head with better port flow. The ECU software is matched to suit the engine's increased performance.

A special twin sports rear silencer with low back pressure completes the picture.

From the outside, the JCW-enhanced MINIs are only modestly identified via a 'Works' badge for the rear door and side grille vents in the front guards.

Under the bonnet, the JCW cars are more easily identified thanks to silver painted engine covers and consecutively numbered engine badges.

A certificate of authenticity is presented to each owner.

MINI Garages in metropolitan areas are the sole installers of the JCW Tuning Kit.

Additionally, the kit is provided only as a complete package, to comply with homologation requirements.

The installation of the JCW Tuning Kit for the MINI Cooper takes about five hours while the MINI Cooper S is longer, at nine hours, reflecting the additional work to replace the supercharger.

Service intervals and warranty details are unchanged from the standard cars.

The kits in detail

MINI Cooper:
- New cylinder head including valve train and gaskets
- Sport- Air Filter System
- Modified ECU
- JCW badges (back door & side grilles)
- Silver painted engine cover with JCW badge
- JCW engine badge consecutively numbered
- JCW sports rear silencer
- Kit cost: $6,000

MINI Cooper S:
- New, high-flow ported cylinder head including valve train and gaskets
- High power spark plugs
- Modified ECU
- JCW badges (back door & front bumper)
- Silver painted engine cover with JCW badge
- JCW engine badge consecutively numbered
- JCW sports rear silencer
- Modified supercharger with coated rotors
- Kit cost: $9,600

JCW Technical Information

MINI Cooper - Tuned by JCW
Engine power - 93 kW @ 5,750 rpm
Engine torque - 155 Nm @ 4,750 rpm
Acceleration (0-100 Km/h) - 8.9 sec
Elasticity (80-120 Km/h) - 10.1 sec
Max Speed - 204 Km/h

MINI Cooper - Standard
Engine power - 85 kW @ 6,000 rpm
Engine torque - 149 Nm @ 4,500 rpm
Acceleration (0-100 Km/h) - 9.2 sec
Elasticity (80-120 Km/h) - 10.5 sec
Max Speed - 201 Km/h

MINI Cooper S - Tuned by JCW
Engine power - 147 kW @ 6,950 rpm
Engine torque - 240 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Acceleration (0-100 Km/h) - 6.7 sec
Elasticity (80-120 Km/h) - 5.6 sec
Max Speed - 226 Km/h

MINI Cooper S - Standard
Engine power - 120 kW @ 6,000 rpm
Engine torque - 210 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Acceleration (0-100 Km/h) - 7.4 sec
Elasticity (80-120 Km/h) - 6.7 sec
Max Speed - 218 Km/h

The John Cooper Legend

By the time John Cooper began developing the early Minis into race and rally stars, he had a stack of Formula 1 Grands Prix and Constructor's World Championships' trophies in the cabinet at his East Sussex garage.

The Cooper Car Company began life in the late 1940s. John Cooper built highly competitive racing cars for sale, and a very early customer for the Cooper 500 was none other than Stirling Moss.

Five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio drove the very first front-engined Formula 2 Cooper racing car. But by the late 1950s, Cooper switched to rear-engine design, successfully out-pacing the icon factory teams of Ferrari, Maserati and BRM, who retained front-engine layouts.

Stirling Moss drove the first rear-engined racing car to win a world championship race in 1958. Jack Brabham won the first of two titles in the F1 Constructor's World Championship for Cooper the very next season. John Cooper devised a go-faster Austin Se7en 'Mini' early in the car's development.

After much testing, Cooper's Minis started winning and the factory adopted the Cooper modifications, helping it to numerous motorsports successes, including Bathurst in 1966 in the hands of Bob Holden and Rauno Aaltonen.

The Mini Cooper's most memorable victories were in the 1964, 1965 and 1967 Monte Carlo rallies, while victory on the road in 1966 was controversially denied over a contentious headlamp infringement.

More than 150,000 classic Mini Coopers were built between 1962 and 1971. Through the 1970s and 1980s John Cooper single-handedly kept the Cooper brand name alive. He produced numerous tuning kits for Mini enthusiasts across the world, from reworked cylinder heads to lightweight bolt-on components.

In 1990, Rover resurrected the Mini Cooper name. Overwhelming demand for Coopers helped keep the classic Mini alive into 2000, and John Cooper continued to develop his specials independently.

Sir John Cooper died in 2000, but had been involved in the development of the new MINI Cooper and the JCW Tuning Kits, providing a tangible link from to the glory days of the Cooper Works Team.

Now, as then, the JCW Tuning kits represent the pinnacle of specialist enhancement, with the added backing of full factory approval.

In 2003, John's son Mike runs the JCW business. He is the president of more than 30 Mini clubs worldwide and remains committed to the continued development of the MINI Cooper.

[swamos]

This is great news. The price is a pleasant suprise - but still too rich for me I'm afraid.

[Goul]

Good stuff.......price is tooo steep, i think ill wait till initial demand is met and hopefully they will start discounting later on.

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by Goul
Good stuff.......price is tooo steep, i think ill wait till initial demand is met and hopefully they will start discounting later on.

Precisely, already been screwed over once by MINI, not again

[warped]

This is great news considering I have already paid for my kit However as usual I have had no correspondance from dealer regarding this

eltel, where was this official information released and by whom? I need the details to get anywhere with the dealership

[Goul]

Me to Swamos, i seriously think in time they will offer discounts. Sit tight mate

[eltel]

Quote:

Originally posted by warped
This is great news considering I have already paid for my kit However as usual I have had no correspondance from dealer regarding this

eltel, where was this official information released and by whom? I need the details to get anywhere with the dealership

This stuff was recently issued to the press, can't divulge my sources.

I'd be surprised if BMW are letting press people know about plans before their own dealers. So, if your dealer shrugs his/her shoulders and disavows knowledge of the contents therein, then I'd say you're going to have problems with that dealer for a long time.

MINI dealers should be eating and breathing this stuff. My advice - Find one who does.

[eltel]

For those of you in QLD - keep your eyes out for the JCW badges. There are a number of kitted MCS cars running around in your area. Probably being driven by dealers.

Otherwise, you will see JCW demonstrators in some dealer showrooms late in August.

If you have got an interest in the JCW kit then the advice is - contact your dealer, give them a deposit and get on their list. Without a deposit you will just slip down the list. BMW will only consider serious bids at the moment as there are limited numbers worldwide and that means that in Australia the delays will be considerable.

In the first year Australia is being allocated about 80 units, and each dealer (24) has their name on one of those 80, so that doesn't leave many for the rest of us.

I'm hoping to interview a JCW driver mid-August to get their impression of the car in actual competition, up against Porsches, WRXs, etc. Should be very interesting.

If you want one within 12 months better order now.

Regards, ElTel

[ShermanM]

No news on JCWS form my dealer aswell. I've even ordered my with the car 9 months ago.
$9600 is not fitted yet right?

After talking to number of people I am considering canceling my order.
As one big question mark that was brought up was "Will one get it back at resale time" and on the point of factory warrenty there is only 15 months left on mine. Let alone some that had the 1st run of MCS. They should only have 12 months left.

Would one be better off getting a 2nd hand Super Bike for the extra speed and acceleration for that money???! I am keeping my Duc 996 for that.

[warped]

Well spoke to the dealer and they still have had no official word on the kit availability

I discoverd a supporting article to eltel's post in the Drive section of this morning's paper ... essentially a shortened version of the posted article. Dealership has spoken to his area manager specifically regarding this article and yet there is still no official announcement

There is some light in the tunnel however as the dealership is sending some mechanics to the UK in early August for training in fitting the kit, which would tend to indicate things are getting close.

Waiting ... waiting ... waiting ...

[m1n130]

Currently on the phone begging my dealer for one ........

[eltel]

Quote:

Originally posted by ShermanM
No news on JCWS form my dealer aswell. I've even ordered my with the car 9 months ago.
$9600 is not fitted yet right?

After talking to number of people I am considering canceling my order.
As one big question mark that was brought up was "Will one get it back at resale time" and on the point of factory warrenty there is only 15 months left on mine. Let alone some that had the 1st run of MCS. They should only have 12 months left.

Would one be better off getting a 2nd hand Super Bike for the extra speed and acceleration for that money???! I am keeping my Duc 996 for that.

Sherman, the $9600 is for the kit only. BMW are suggesting that there is about 9 hours of fitting time. This is one area where you may be able to negotiate a price with your dealer.

I wonder if I can get 10% discount on the kit with my BMW Car Club discount?

As far as resale goes, if I had a JCW MCS I'd be hanging onto it. This would be one of the rarest and most desirable combinations on the road, and I can't see many of them ever being offered to the general public 2nd hand. I may be wrong, but due to their rarity and the fact that you can't just buy the kit over the counter without a 6-12 month wait, then people would be queued up for even 2nd hand versions.

I suspect that you would get very good service from the dealer and the respect of many MINI and non-MINI drivers.

We shall see. Please don't cancel your order, I want you to take me for a drive in your JCW.

Here's a pic of one I prepared earlier.

[eltel]

And just to prove that the little beast works OK in the heat.

No, it's not a mirage. It's real.

[eltel]

A new baby is born to the Coopers.

[eltel]

For those that haven't seen what lies under the bonnet of a JCW - badged MCS.

I'll send a hi-res copy of this to any MINI2 Aussie members who ask nicely.