2004 Mini Cooper S Hatchback 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mini JCW GP to be hatchback only, no 'Ring record attempt in sight

The 2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP is dropping weight and lowering its lap times, but one thing it won't be losing is its flat roof. Like the original JCW GP package, Evo says that despite the fact that sportier Mini Coupes have been caught testing, the new GP will only be offered in the three-door Cooper hatchback body style. And that's perfectly fine with us.
Evo spoke with GP development chief Jorg Weidinger who said that as a part of the car's history, "It was a hatch, it is a hatch and it should stay a hatch." Weidinger also said that Mini is not planning to set any Nürburgring records with the new JCW GP even though earlier reports indicate that the car is a full 20 seconds faster around the 'Ring than its 2006 predecessor.
The new Mini John Cooper Works GP weighs 121 pounds less than the John Cooper Works Hardtop, offers a fully adjustable coil-over suspension and it will have a starting price of $39,950, (including $700 for destination) when it goes on sale later this year.

John Cooper Works GP Pack transfers feisty visual cues to Mini JCW

Mini made just 3,000 examples of the 302-horsepower, $45,750 John Cooper Works GP. Now that they're all gone, Mini designers have put together a cosmetic kit called the John Cooper Works GP Pack that lends some of the genuine GP aura to the standard Mini John Cooper Works. The Racing Grey Metallic paint and contrasting Melting Silver Metallic roof, rear spoiler — in standard form as opposed to the lurid unit, and mirror caps are ported over. They're offset by the black engine scoop, door handles, and fuel filler door, red trim across the grille, and piano black headlight surrounds with black headlight and taillight inserts. The exterior Mini badges go all Johnny Cash black, too, and the 18-inch John Cooper Works Cup Spoke lightweight wheels show GP on their center caps to match the GP logos on the door sills.  The cockpit amps up its edge with JCW leather-trimmed Dinamica suede sport seats in front, bearing GP badges — the two-door keeps its four seats, though, unlike the two-seater JCW GP. A 3D-printed metal stripe marks 12 o'clock on the Walknappa leather-corvered steering wheel, Walknappa being a fancy BMW Group name for one of its Nappa leather finishes. Buyers that go the eight-speed automatic route will get 3D-printed shift paddles with more GP logos. Floor mats front and rear pop with red cross stitching, and yet more GP logos. As a look-fast instead of a go-fast package, nothing changes under the hood or under the skin, the JCW sticking with its 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 228 hp and 236 pound-feet of torque. Mini hasn't coughed up a price yet, but we're told the John Cooper Works GP Pack will be available sometime next month. Related Video:    

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.