Frankfurt Motor Show: Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept revealed

From the Union Jack tail lights, to the aggressive front lip spoiler, there’s no denying that the Mini JCW GP Concept looks wild.

But, as it’s just a design concept, we have no details on what running gear a car like this would house.

According to BMW Group, the concept “picks up the baton” following on from the 2012 JCW GP and the Cooper S of 2006 with a JCW GP kit.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member responsible for Mini says this concept aims to encapsulate the emotion captured by these performance Minis.

“The Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept is all about the unfettered feeling of driving and levels of performance found in motor sport competition,”

“This is driving fun in its purest form.”

The widebody kit on this concept utilises flared arches and vents galore, with front and rear ‘wings’ over the arches succeeding in giving the JCW GP Concept an almost mean visual flair.

Adrian van Hooydonk, senior VP of BMW Group Design says the aggressive styling of the concept is important in conjuring the ideas of Mini’s sporting heritiage.

“If you know about Mini, you’ll be aware of the brand’s long and successful history in motor sport,”

“The Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept brings together the full suite of defining Mini design features and showcases them at their sportiest and most exciting. What we’re looking at here is maximum performance, maximum Mini.”

With a paint finish in shades of grey and accents in red, inside and out, the Mini JCW GP Concept is a mix of the future and the past.

With the number 0059 reflecting the Mini’s birth in 1959, while carbon fibre wings and flares outside and an interior almost resembling a modern Mini, the concept is a reminder that the Mini is still ‘fun’.