John Cooper Works. Kit Up!

Durban. The MINI brand is inseparable from a famous name in motor sport
history: John Cooper. Even before the first series manufactured Mini
appeared in the showrooms, he had already developed a power-enhanced
brother. However, this only existed on the drawing boards of the Mini
designer and his close confidant Alec Issigonis. A legend was born.
Until this day the Cooper name is closely associated with the MINI brand
and so it is no wonder that Mike Cooper, the son of the legendary John
Cooper, already had a power-enhanced version in mind before the new
MINI was launched onto the market in 2001... Parallel to the series
development of the MINI, John Cooper Works already began with the
development of the series version power unit. This gave rise to two
attractive tuning versions of the MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper models.
Apart from visual touches the two models are mainly differentiated by
their increased engine output and higher torque. The John Cooper
Works Tuning Kits: MINI Cooper S with 147 kW. By installing an even
more powerful and higher revving supercharger, John Cooper Works has
turned the MINI Cooper S top-of-the-range model into even more of a
driving machine. The performance figures can be compared to those of
renowned sports cars: 147 kW at 6,950 rpm give this power pack a top
speed of 226 km/h. The generous torque of 240 Nm available at 4,000 rpm
catapults the powerful MINI to 100 km/h in only 6.7 seconds. The car's
pulling power is also very impressive: only 5.6 seconds are needed from
80 to 120 km/h. In order to be able to use the new supercharger with
the higher rpm level and load pressure, modifications to the cylinder
head and the engine electronics were necessary. A special rear silencer
gives the car a powerful acoustic impact. Power boost for the MINI
Cooper. Less dramatic than the JCW Cooper S the John Cooper Works
tuning kit for the MINI Cooper nevertheless boasts features such as a
modified cylinder head with higher compression, altered engine
electronics as well as a special air filter and rear silencer to boost
performance. Retrofitting the MINI Cooper in this way generates a
maximum output of 93 kW already achieved at 5,750 rpm. Maximum torque
is increased to 155 Nm and is available at 4,700 rpm. This power
treatment gives the MINI Cooper by John Cooper Works a top speed of 204
km/h and an acceleration of 8.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The burst
from 80 to 120 km/h in fourth gear takes only 10.1 seconds. The John
Cooper Works MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S tuning kits are available
from all MINI dealers and may be fitted to new as well as used cars.
Warranty and Motorplan benefits are not affected by the JCW tuning kits
as they are fully factory approved - service intervals also remain
unchanged. In the case of used cars, the existing Motorplan benefits
will still apply. Prices (including installation): JCW kit for the MINI
Cooper - R26 500; JCW kit for the MINI Cooper S - R43 285. New MINI
prices: MINI Cooper - R164 900; MINI Cooper CVT - R175 400; MINI Cooper
S - R206 100. The suitable outfit for the power MINI. In order to
emphasise the sporty driving impression of the tuned MINI Cooper and
MINI Cooper S models, a number of John Cooper Works accessories such as
sports seats will become available in the future. The sides of the
sports seats are raised for improved lateral hold, the shoulder area is
reinforced and the thigh support can be adjusted to provide greater
comfort and safety. The seats are available in nearly all regular
colour and upholstery designs and can also be ordered with seat heating.
The Easy-Entry function remains unchanged. A powerful MINI for a
powerful racing series: the John Cooper Challenge (UK). What could be
more suitable than driving the MINIs tuned by Mike Cooper on the
racetrack? The idea of a racing series, the John Cooper Challenge,
therefore was not long in coming and was already put into practice in
2002 in the United Kingdom. The John Cooper Challenge is the first
racing series for the new MINI in which up-and-coming drivers and young
talents can battle it out head to head and show some thrilling motor
sport action. Headed by Mike Cooper, the John Cooper Works manufactures
the tuning and retrofit kits for the racing cars and highlights that
sportiness is not only an image of the MINI Cooper. Like the series
model, the race version is characterised by unsurpassed ease of
handling and generous power. Due to the enormous success of last year's
series, this year will see the John Cooper Challenge continued at
renowned venues such as Goodwood or Silverstone. One of the 10 racing
locations is even planned outside of Great Britain in Croix en Ternois,
France. For detailed up-to-date information please see
www.johncooperworks.com John Cooper: the legend lives. The history of
Cooper began at the end of the 40s when motor sport pioneer John Cooper
founded the Cooper Car Company. Soon he began with the production of
small, competitive racing cars. With the Cooper 500 he had developed a
vehicle, which made an entry into the world of motor sport possible.
One of his first customers was none other than Stirling Moss. Drivers
such as the 5-times world champion Juan Manuel Fangio sat behind the
wheel of the first Formula 2 racing car by Cooper, still featuring a
front-end engine. At the end of the 50s, when private drivers were
still among the winners, the first Cooper with a rear engine rode it
out with the big ones such as Ferrari, Maserati and BRM who all were
still racing with front engines. In 1958 Stirling Moss drove the first
rear-engined racing car to win a world championship race - a concept
which is still applied today. In 1959 Jack Brabham won the first of two
titles in the F1 constructor's world championship for Cooper.
Successful in all disciplines. John Cooper, however, was not only
active in Formula racing. In the 60s he achieved many successes with
the Mini Cooper based on the standard Mini model at racetracks and on
rally courses. The Mini Cooper won the Monte Carlo Rally between 1964
and 1967 three times for example. Even though the Mini Cooper was very
successful and popular, production was stopped by BMC in 1971 after
150,000 units had been produced. John Cooper, however, kept the Mini
Cooper brand name alive. In order to meet the growing demand for Cooper
cars, he produced tuning kits and accessories in the 80s for turning
the Mini into the Mini Cooper. In 1990 the Mini Cooper, still at home
under the Rover roof at the time, was brought back to life. The demand
for the nimble little car remained unchanged and John Cooper produced
numerous special models of the sporty Cooper S. In West Sussex, John
Cooper Works manufactured engine and chassis tuning kits for the aging
classic right up until the end. The powerful engines and the almost
legendary handling of his tuned Minis shape the sporty image of the MINI
Cooper to this day. With the death of John Cooper in the year 2000 a
piece of racing history has been lost but his name will always be
associated with motor sport - and with MINI.