Power to Match the Handling
I want it, I want it, I want it! OK, I don't usually regress into a childish tantrum for just anything, but the
Cooper S is already such a fabulous car that I can only imagine how great a factory-tuned version could be.
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| The Cooper S is already a great car, so the anticipation of a John Cooper Works tuned model is almost too much to comprehend. (Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Factory-tuned isn't quite accurate, being that the John Cooper Works Company, famous for its Monte Carlo winning Cooper rally cars of the '60s, is a separate facility from the MINI plant. It's more akin to Alpina's relationship with BMW.
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| Jack Pitney, general manager of MINI USA was on hand to unveil the new model at the New York Auto Show. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
But who cares, the new car has gobs of power and some trick visual enhancements to set it apart from the standard Cooper S, and what's more it's fully covered by MINI's 4-year 80,000 km comprehensive warrantee.
John Michael Cooper, who goes by Mike, is the son of John himself and currently runs John Cooper Works. He was on hand to unveil the new model in New York during the city's annual auto show in April, but it was Jack Pitney, general manager of MINI USA that summed the new model up best by saying, "MINI's regular specification cars are exhilarating to drive in themselves, but the addition of this unique package takes the MINI experience to a whole new level."
