JOHANNESBURG - The fastest road-going Mini ever has reached South African shores, and with a price tag of R809 488, it’s also the most expensive.
It’s too late to snap one up, however, as only 38 examples have been earmarked for South Africa, from a production run of 3000, and all are currently spoken for. Mini SA says that only customers who had registered their interest through its online channels were eligible to purchase one of these vehicles.
These few lucky customers will get to enjoy BMW’s most powerful four-cylinder ever, the 2-litre unit producing 225kW and 450Nm, which Mini says is enough to get it from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 265km/h.
The Mini John Cooper Works GP is also loaded with bespoke features that make it an ideal track day toy.
Like its predecessors it’s a two-seater fitted with a cross bar behind the front seats, and Mini has also left out some of the sound deadening material to save weight and give you a better earful from the model-specific sports exhaust system.
The GP has its own aerodynamic body package too, which includes a large roof spoiler with double wing contours that maximise downforce and a unique front apron that reduces lift, and the vehicle is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels.
The 10mm-lower suspension system was also fine-tuned for this model, as was the eight-speed automatic transmission, which has an integrated mechanical diff lock for the front wheels, and the high performance braking system is unique to this car too.