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It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a full decade since the first generation of the reborn MINI Cooper has passed. Four years ago I made the fateful choice to sell my 2007 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport for a low mileage 2006 Cooper S. I haven’t looked back. It’s been a fantastic ownership experience and a car that suits my needs quite well. I choose a 2006 Cooper S because it was the final year for the Brasilian sourced Tritec supercharged engine. The first time I got behind the wheel of an R53 Cooper S I was hooked. The engine was punchy, had torque in every gear and, oh, that whine from the blower under the bonnet. In an age where a lot of newer cars seem to just blend together, this little car had serious character.
For the R53’s final year, MINI would introduce a special run of 2000 Cooper S models, with the John Cooper Works package labeled the “GP.†This was a very focused, track ready beast built in Italy by Bertone, sans rear seat with some other weight savings measures and a higher output motor. The sole color choice was Thunder Blue with red door mirror caps, carbon fiber rear wing and unique four-spoke alloys. This Cooper S JCW GP for sale in Miami has done just over 40,000 miles and is ready to tackle any curve you could throw at it.
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.
This year, MINI unleashed the second generation John Cooper Works GP, which is a no-nonsense, limited edition, track ready version of their popular Cooper S.…