#jcw

The John Cooper Works (JCW) MINI lineup will all get a revised 1.6-liter engine based on its predecessor with performance numbers being the same at 208-hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

It says a lot about the creations that come from MINI, when the British automaker presents their “Cowley Caravan and Swindon Roof Top Tent” and we’re not sure if it’s an elaborate April Fools Joke or if it’s serious, as it was released on April 1st.

Back in 2006,  MINI released a special edition Cooper John Cooper Works GP model. Limited to just 2,000 vehicles, the JCW GP Cooper S blended the best out of the John Cooper Works catalog with some GP-specific parts. 

MINI has been experiencing tremendous success in America and it appears that the cute British brand has no plans to slow down. There are now reports that MINI is strongly considering bringing its diesel powerplants to the U.S. and could be turning John Cooper Works into a sub-brand tuning division, similar to BMW‘s M models.

MINI wanted to celebrate its return to the world of rallying with the MINI WRC Team in the FIA World Rally Championship by offering a new accessories package for Cooper S and SD Countryman owners. The MINI John Cooper Works Championship tuning package pays homage to MINI’s new rally star and gives owners a nice rally theme to their vehicles.

MINI had not one, but two surprises in store for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, debuting both the Goodwood model and the new Coupe at the annual historic auto show.

MINI has been know to have fun with their commercials and they definitely pulled it off with their newest ad.  In this latest commercial entitled “Another Day. Another Adventure” the coupe tours around through Iceland, Rio De Janiero and Hong Kong in less than a week.

As part of MINI‘s 2011 Cooper lineup and debuts at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, an announcement has been made that a John Cooper Works Tuning Kit will be available for the MINI Cooper S, MINI Cooper S Clubman and MINI Cooper S Convertible. The tuning kit will raise horsepower to 200-hp and torque to 186 ft-lbs, with an overboost function that increases torque even more to 199 ft-lbs.

With a huge gulf existing between the road-going version of the MINI Countryman and the WRC-ready version, a halo version that could bridge the gap between urban crossover and full-blown race car could be an asset for MINI, and help them leverage some of the image boost that their rally program will provide, especially in parts of the world where WRC is a popular motorsport.

Despite previous rumors to the contrary, MINI will be offering the John Cooper Works kit for the 2011 MINI Cooper S. Initial fears that the JCW kit would be killed off for being too close in power to the factory John Cooper Works car seem to be unfounded, as the kit retains the same power upgrades as the previous iterations.

For months we’ve heard rumors of a new MINI model that will slot in underneath the Cooper in the British automakers lineup, but that doesn’t mean the newest and miniest MINI will put fuel economy ahead of fun. Inside sources are reporting that this new city car will get a high-powered John Cooper Works (JCW) edition.

We absolutely love the MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) edition ( reviewed here and here) and for 2011 it’s going to get more hard-core. According to the MINI experts at MotoringFile and thanks to some new spy photos from LeftLaneNews we have better insight to what the mid-cycle updates will include.

Last year MINI unveiled a very special and very cool John Cooper Works Championship 50 Special Edition model in the U.K. to celebrate the company’s 50th birthday. And now according to the folks at MotoringFile, the JCW WC50 will also be offered in the U.S. – but it doesn’t come cheap.

A high-performance version of the MINI Countryman crossover is “definitely under consideration” says MINI U.K.’s general manager Jochen Goller. Only recently did MINI officially confirm the Countryman model which is expected to make its word debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Currently the MINI Cooper S Countryman boasts the highest output with 184-hp. That would all change if a John Cooper Works model joined the lineup, putting out closer to 210-hp.