This is MINI's third and final birthday present to itself for turning 50, following the
Camden and Mayfair editions. Billed as the "ultimate MINI" during its unveiling at
MINI United, the mouthful of a name on its birth certificate is 'MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50'. We'll just call it 'Fiddy', eh.
So, Fiddy is supposed to pay homage to the racing tradition of the marque, and particularly, of course, the great John Cooper himself; strange then that the maker would stuff its range topper full of heavy kit then charge a fortune for it... ah.
Actually, we don't know what it's going to cost yet, but given there'll only be 250 individually numbered examples, and they'll all come with full black and red leather interior; satnav; a Harmon Kardon stereo; Xenon headlamps; jet black 17-inch alloys; Bluetooth; a carbon bonnet scoop, tailgate trim, rear apron, mirror caps and dashboard, we're confident it'll not be cheap.
In fact, to quote BMW, 'nearly every option available to buyers of the existing MINI John Cooper Works Hatch is fitted as standard... The on-the-road price is expected to reflect the car's highly impressive specification'. Brace yourselves.
Mark Nichol - 27 May 2009