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I can not wait to see what they built there.
Last month we told you about a track day special edition MINI being created by MINI UK. EVO Magazine has been granted exclusive access to the development of MINI’s latest limited edition model and has a few tantalizing updates. In short this isn’t just a few stickers and some new paint. The MINI JCW Challenge is a car that takes the best of the JCW range and turns it up a notch for the track. While this isn’t a material change like the GP, it’s a smartly edited version of the JCW that should create a more focused car for both the street and the track.
What’s changed? According to EVO, all the important bits:
The chassis has been upgraded with Nitron springs and dampers along with front camber plates. They will be fully adjustable for both height and camber. There’s also a stiffer set of sway bars to give flatter handling.
Brakes are the same four-piston Brembo set-up from the JCW but the Challenge will use bespoke Mintex pads of greater bite.
A real old school limited slip differential from Quaife will be standard on the car – the first mechanical differential since the early days of the R56 (sorry EVO – MINIs other than the R53 GP did have a true diff)
Finally MINI UK will be fitting Team Dynamics wheels in order to save over 3 lbs per corner. They’ll be 17″ in diameter but will a full 7.5″ width. The tire choice remains a mystery.
What hasn’t changed (if you didn’t notice) is the power plant.
Sadly the JCWc will be a UK only model and produced in very low numbers – 50 – 100 depending on demand. Why go to the trouble of producing a car in such limited numbers for a single market? It could be a precursor to a GP version meant for global markets or a proof of concept for something else entirely. What is interesting is that MINI has given the UK team the green light to use components directly from suppliers giving quite a lot of transparency into a process that’s typically kept out of the public eye. We like the change. And it sounds like we’ll love the car.
http://www.motoringfile.com/
Last month we told you about a track day special edition MINI being created by MINI UK. EVO Magazine has been granted exclusive access to the development of MINI’s latest limited edition model and has a few tantalizing updates. In short this isn’t just a few stickers and some new paint. The MINI JCW Challenge is a car that takes the best of the JCW range and turns it up a notch for the track. While this isn’t a material change like the GP, it’s a smartly edited version of the JCW that should create a more focused car for both the street and the track.
What’s changed? According to EVO, all the important bits:
The chassis has been upgraded with Nitron springs and dampers along with front camber plates. They will be fully adjustable for both height and camber. There’s also a stiffer set of sway bars to give flatter handling.
Brakes are the same four-piston Brembo set-up from the JCW but the Challenge will use bespoke Mintex pads of greater bite.
A real old school limited slip differential from Quaife will be standard on the car – the first mechanical differential since the early days of the R56 (sorry EVO – MINIs other than the R53 GP did have a true diff)
Finally MINI UK will be fitting Team Dynamics wheels in order to save over 3 lbs per corner. They’ll be 17″ in diameter but will a full 7.5″ width. The tire choice remains a mystery.
What hasn’t changed (if you didn’t notice) is the power plant.
Sadly the JCWc will be a UK only model and produced in very low numbers – 50 – 100 depending on demand. Why go to the trouble of producing a car in such limited numbers for a single market? It could be a precursor to a GP version meant for global markets or a proof of concept for something else entirely. What is interesting is that MINI has given the UK team the green light to use components directly from suppliers giving quite a lot of transparency into a process that’s typically kept out of the public eye. We like the change. And it sounds like we’ll love the car.
http://www.motoringfile.com/
