Over the past six months, I’ve been enjoying my time with my 2006 MINI Cooper S. For me, living in an urban area, it is a perfect combination of size, performance and economy. However, owning a car like this always makes one wonder if it’s worth turning up the performance a notch or two. In it’s last year, MINI decided to breathe on the original R53 Cooper S and turn it into a quasi track special.
The Cooper S GP was assembled by Bertone in Italy and was unique in that the rear seat was removed, less sound deadening was included and air condition was optional. These features, along with others, saved about 80 pounds over the standard Cooper S. Reworked suspension, upgraded brakes and the John Cooper Works engine enhancement package were also part of the GP package. With a limited run of 2000 built and 415 brought to the US, it is one of the rarest MINI Coopers of the new generation to hit the streets. Here’s one for sale in Nashville at a reasonable price.
2006 MINI Cooper S JCW on eBay
The seller states:
2006 MINI Cooper Hardtop S w/JCW GP Kit (#515 of 2000). The rarest and fasted factory MINI Cooper ever made. This is number 515 of 2000 made for the world. Only 415 were brought into the USA and they do not change hands very often! Only 44,000 miles, nearly new Yokohama Parada tires indicate this was a very well cared for GP! These cars had all of the John Cooper Works mods including upgraded brakes, shocks, springs, swaybars, intake modifications and a full JCW exhaust.
This car also has an ALTA oil catch can to prevent any oil from entering the intercooler and FORGE fluid canisters. All of these parts made 218 HP and the most powerful R53 MINI Cooper made! The seats have been covered for most of their life, we removed them to make the car factory correct but will be included in the sale. The previous owner even added an extra GP correct wheel and tire to make the car capable of doing daily driver duty. Factory Limited Slip diff and heated front seats. Don’t miss out, these DO NOT come up for sale very often!
These GPs don’t come up for sale very often, and the asking price is about as low as I’ve seen one advertised for. It appears well cared for considering the mileage is slightly higher than what one would normally see on a collectable vehicle. My one gripe is the non-stock gearshift knob. It looks way too high and the red boot is a little garish. A suede shifter boot would look a lot better on a car like this. It may be a little wild for some in appearance, but this is a car whose classic status is already assured and would be great for the odd track day or two.
-Paul
With the RED seat covers installed, and the RED spare tire cover, and the RED handbrake boot, and the RED armrests…the RED shift boot really doesn’t stand out that much!
I wonder how much track time this car has seen. Also, does the extra few HP over the regular JCW package justify the loss of a rear seat (and all the other compromises that will make this iteration that much less useful on the street)?
With 44K (probably hard) miles already, and a price tag nearly that of a new Cooper S, I’m wondering whether this limited edition GP is worth it. Can’t you get most of the go-fast and handling bits on a regular Cooper S or JCW?
I agree to an extent on the price. If this car had 20k on the clock or less, it might warrant $25k. For a regular Cooper Works of the same vintage, clean retail values may glance $20k on rare occasions. But with closer to 50k on the clock and features that would make this less attractive to many, I’d have to say the asking price is reaching a bit.
While this is a rarely optioned mini, they are becoming a dime/dozen here. I wonder about the brand as the market gets saturated.
I own a 60k+ GP, bought it new. You really can’t bolt this package together in the aftermarket. This car was a MINI version of a BMW M3 lightweight or a Porsche RS model. 88lbs lighter than a base model at the time, but by the time you add big brakes, wheels, aero, JCW, it was actually 200 lbs lighter. While you can get many of the parts, and go aftermarket for the others, this is one of those cars that whole package is greater than the sum of the parts. Until you drive one back to back with a regular JCW or well modified one, you just won’t understand.
Erik, for the right person, I’m sure the JCW GP package makes sense. My point was that for many of us, the added cost and performance isn’t worth the compromises we’d have to make.
I am a little confused though: you said that this car is “88lbs lighter than a base model…but by the time you add big brakes, wheels, aero, JCW, it was actually 200 lbs lighter.” How does it get 112 lbs lighter when you add heavier equipment?
If you add the S and JCW bits to a base model, that gains the 112 lbs. The GP car came with all those parts and was 88 lbs lighter than the base car without the JCW parts. Most JCWs also have a sunroof and that adds another 50lbs or so.
The price seems about right from what I’ve seen. Last year at MINI Takes the States, I met someone that had paid $29k for a 40,000 mile one with an extended warranty.
Now that the new MINI coupe was introduced with a weight GAIN (not the expected loss), many GP owners I knew who were planing on moving on to the coupe, will be keeping their GPs for now, so I don’t see many more coming to market.
OK, the GP is 200 lbs lighter than a comparably equipped Cooper S JCW. That’s fine, except that Mini stripped out some items that would be critical for many owners. For example: I don’t need a back seat on most days, but when I do, it’s not optional.
No question – numbered limited-production, higher-performance models will almost always hold their value significantly better than the regular production car they’re based on (look at the R32).
My original point was simply that – in this case, at least – I can sacrifice the limited production cachet, but get close to the same real-world performance in a far more daily-usable package with a new car warranty for similar money.
No takers are $23,550