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MINI has released special edition racing inspired vehicles, covering their Hardtop, Convertible, and Clubman models. The tuned and prepped MINIs are labeled as John Cooper Works edition, which despite their tiny package, are wound tight street-legal race cars. From the handling performance to the power under the hood these special edition MINIs have been built with racing in mind, but built within the confines of street legality.[singlepic=3697,500,333,,]
John Newton Cooper, whom the the MINI special edition cars are named after, was a co-founder of the Cooper Car Company. John Cooper pioneered the rear-engined chasis design and helped change all racing from Formula 1 to Indianapolis 500. The design John Cooper had pioneered quickly dominated the track and others had to adapt. Cooper later developed the British Motor Coporation Mini, which produced the Mini Cooper. The Cooper name and legend was later licensed to BMW, who released the MINI, a higher performance version of the Mini Coopers built by the BMC. John Cooper remained an adviser to BMW on building the MINI until his death in 2000.
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The John Cooper Works MINIs are built following the same passion for performance, as the late racing legend reached for. The special edition MINIs get their power from a 208 horsepower turbo charged 4 cylinder, which is capable of delivering 198 lb ft of torque to the wheels. This type of power in such a light weight package makes for a jarring acceleration capable of rivaling super cars many times the price level of the John Cooper Works edition MINI.
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This MINI also sports the latest technological advances, including the breakthrough DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) Mode. When DSC is engaged the car will automatically kick in and limit performance at the first sign of instability, including tire spin or over steer. The technology works by both limiting the engine power and applying the right brake tension to put the race car on a straight and narrow path. Not that the driver would easily lose control of this mighty mechanical monster, the engineers were nice enough to outfit all 4 corners with 17″ rims, extra wide run flat performance tires, and 4-piston Brembo brakes.
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Even if the small car appearance doesn’t appeal to you, it’s easy to appreciate the epic amounts of performance engineered into such a package. The result is a blast to drive, gas mileage in the 30 mpg range, and a price tag of less than $30,000! If you are looking for lots of performance in a little package, look no further than the offerings from MINI with their John Cooper Works edition models.
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