Quintessentially British, the MINI has BMWs fingerprints all over it and thus, is a welcome addition in the usual GCFSB roundup. Yours truly is an R53 Cooper S owner. For four years, the car has had very few issues and has been a pleasantly fun and trusty motoring sidekick. I’ve never grown tired of driving it and the power delivery by the supercharger makes this 1.6 liter feel a lot mightier than its displacement would suggest. At the end of the R53 run, MINI unleashed a special version, the Cooper S GP. Only 2,000 examples were produced, which featured no rear seats, reduced sound deadening, optional A/C and a few other weight savings measures. One color was available, Thunder Blue with a Pure Silver roof with the serial number on the roof and dashboard. This particular GP for sale in Virginia is a low production number and was brought to our attention from our reader Walker.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 MINI Cooper S GP on Williamsburg, Virginia’s Craigslist
Year: 2006
Model: Cooper S GP
Engine: 1.6 liter supercharged inline-4
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 84,696 mi
Price: $14,900 Buy It Now
I’m selling my 2006 Mini GP 6 speed. The car is garage kept and very well taken care of. This is car 0089 of 2000 made. The car is in great condition and only has 84K miles. This is 1 of only 2000 Mini GP’s in the world. Only 415 were brought state side. I have recently put new Hankook Ventus V12 tires on the car and the inspection was updates June 2014. I have the clear title in hand. Additional pictures and information can be seen at www.2006minigp.shutterfly.com.
Some standard equipment include:
Heated Seats
Cruise Control
Power Windows and Door Locks
Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls
Limited Slip Differential
Stability Control
This is one of the more affordable R53 GPs I’ve seen advertised, as I’ve seen a few lower mileage examples out there on the market in the last year or two hovering around the $20,000 mark. I just turned 50,000 miles on my Cooper S and given it’s performance so far, I wouldn’t fear picking one up with a little more mileage than what I have covered on my car. This GP appears clean for the mileage and age. As long as the seller could produce some records or was willing to agree to a PPI, this seems to be a good deal on a rare MINI.
-Paul
I had a student show up with one at Calabogie in Canada when it was effectively brand new. It was a very impressive car all around and I was lucky enough to drive it. Overdone a bit for sure but in that charming, aren’t I cute way. Like when a tiger cub is playing with its mother cute – you know it’s capable of ripping half your face off, but you can’t help but smile. However, I think I’d prefer a more discrete version over the boy racer looks of the GP, though the performance increase was noticeable over the others I’ve driven. The wheels are also one of the few designs that I simultaneously think is brutally ugly and brutally awesome.