JCW CLUBMAN Archives - JCW Adventures

Coming In Hot: All The Details On The F56 MINI GP3

Ali Mir — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:55:31 +0000

No more teasing shoots and here are all the details you want to know on soon to be arriving in March 2020 the MINI GP3 the last hurrah to the 3rd Generation F-Series MINI.

Here all the main details you need to know about the MINI GP3:

Limited to 3,000 units worldwide (UK – 575 units & US – 400-500 units)
306 bhp & 450 nm of Torque from the revised 2-litre engine
0 to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 164 mph
8-Speed Steptronic Automatic & Torsen Mechanical Differential
Multistage traction control with GP Mode
Lightweight wheels with Hankook track-focused tyres
20mm wider front track & 10mm reduced ride height from JCW with adaptive suspension
Rear seats deleted with a rear brace
Nappa Leather steering wheel with metal 12 o’clock position and GP metal paddle shifters
Digital & Analogue Dials
Improved Aerodynamics with Carbon Fibre Arches & Rear wing
90mm exhaust tips finished in matte brushed stainless steel
Darkened LED headlights & rear lights and Black MINI badges
Exclusive metallic Racing Grey paint with metallic melting silver roof
Unique GP side stripe with individual numbers on Carbon Blades
Preorder is now available at your retailers with RRP of £33,895 (US – $44,900)
GT Touring Pack (£2,000 – Option)- Adds dual-zone air- conditioning, heated front seats and Navigation Plus – which includes Satellite Navigation and wireless charging
First UK deliveries start in March 2020

Now with the key points outlined will this be ultimate F56 when it comes out?? I still loved R56 GP2 which I test drove for review a while a back which was still raw, and they just turned the R56 up to 12.

I am not gonna lie the F56 series MINI has been a bitter disappointment to me and the only model that I have driven from the range that has made me smile has been the F56 MINI Hatch Cooper and F56 JCW Convertible as they charm to them. The Cooper had all the power you wanted as it was fun extracting it from its peppy engine while the Convertible JCW brought back some of the visceral rawness of what a MINI should be.

I am yet to drive the F55 Clubman JCW with its ALL4 drive with the same engine as the MINI GP3, but in the real world, the clubman will be faster! It’s ALL4 will allow a quicker 0 to 60 dash at 4.9 compared to the GP3s 5.2 plus you can take your mates with you.

The proof will be in the driving when I get a hold of a set of keys from MINI or a JCW clubman owner willing to borrow it me for a while. Probably the car I am most excited to drive along with the MINI Cooper SE.

Now the car has officially unveiled it has grown on me, and I see more details on it which are cooler than first perceived. The Carbon blades don’t look that much out of place, but I can see it being a nightmare in the real world – people trying to clean them and a lot of people touching them when you are away from it. Plus I am annoyed there is no manual option as the torque figure was too high for them to justify so auto won that fight : (

They should have made the mirror caps Red to follow tradition and the lower grille should have been black as that lower grille is something you don’t want to highlight…

GP numbers on the roof again for tradition reasons but the mega disappointment has been the wheels as they are very much lacklustre. The whole 3rd Gen MINI range as it’s like they gave up in that design department. But the person who made the centre caps deserves needs promotion to head of wheel design.

The wing again should have followed tradition with being carbon fibre and my OCD is kicking off with the base being red next to a silver roof!! Just why why why why

The paddles look nice, but the top parts should have been longer as everyone drives differently and they should have looked to supercars for better inspiration.

Alright, enough of the negatives here are my positives – dark line headlights & rear lights, black door handles, black fuel cap and black badges are perfect but that new racing grey paint though really pops under the sun! The upper red bar grill intake is a pleasant update to get more in and go with the GP3 more power theme.

Interior is where they did their best work with the rear seat delete being something to behold than a rush job with the GP logo, flush carpet and new back strut brace design. New seats are a nice touch with the grey and GP logo, but you will be glad for the new digital with GP interface. It will make you feel that much special every time you got in with GP door stills and mats.

The better diffuser is welcomed as well but could have had a more menace to it. My favourite touch of them all is the matte brushed stainless steel trim exhaust tips. They are something very different much a new look, so it caught my eye straight away.

I thought they were titanium when I did walk around the Goodwood festival of speed back in the summer.

Now that we have done everything at face value, let’s dive deeper into the changes under the hood and beyond.

The engine was revamped to achieve the new power levels with the following upgrades:

Reinforced crankshaft with enlarged main bearing diameter, specific pistons, bushless connecting rods and a new torsional vibration damper with optimised cooling.
New turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold and fitted with a divert-air valve that optimises response.
The compression ratio has been reduced from 10.2 to 9.5 in line with the increased boost pressure provided by the system.
The updated intake air duct has an enlarged inlet, and flow cross-sections and the increased capacity of the noise damper ensure maximum de-throttling.
New multi-hole injectors, arranged centrally between the valves to increased flow rate and transporting the fuel into the combustion chambers at an injection pressure of up to 350 bar.

Maximum torque is created at 1,750 rpm to 4,500 with 306 bhp is achieved at 5,000 to 6,250 rpm in the rev range.

With all this new power there was a need for more cooling so there an additional two external coolant coolers. The expansion tank is enlarged for increased volume with a specially designed coolant module storage system and an electric fan with increased output to maintain the optimum operating temperature at all times. In addition, the crankcase cooling system can be temporarily shut off employing a new split- cooling valve to optimise the engine’s warm-up response.

The transmission helps put the power down with an integrate Torsen Mechanical Differential, which can lock up to 31%. To avoid track action issues the transmission has it’s own separate cooling circuit when you out chasing down lap times. GP mode makes a return to give you some slip with traction control but always there on hand to keep you safe if you need it when hooning or a track star.

GP3 has been given underbody bracing by the tunnel bridge is replaced by solid support for the modified rear axle. While the front has been its strut brace for increased rigidity with refreshed new suspension setup and increases front and rear camber.

Continuing with the steering of the GP3 there are stiffer rubber bearings in the support bearings of the front and rear axles. The four wishbones on the rear axle are fitted on the outside with clearance-free metal ball sleeve joints instead of rubber mounts, while on the inside there are highly rigid rubber mounts.

Now if you want to slow everything down there 4 pot front calipers are made of aluminium and combined with 360 × 30 mm ventilated discs. These are encased by 8-inch lightweight forged wheels (8.0 J × 18) weighing less than 9kg. 225/35/18 Hankook tyres make a return to the brand with a choice of road Ventus S1 Evo Z or semi-slicks TD. These are covered by the carbon blades which are formed reclaimed carbon from the i8 & i3 manufacturing. The carbon fibre goodness also helps widen the front track by 40mm wider than a standard F56 JCW.

Hopefully, with all these significant upgrades and improvement, the GP3 will live up to previous to GP name both on track and road. As soon as I can get behind the wheel of one I will be sure to give you my feedback whether it fills up the shoes of the legacy of the slaying everything around its class.

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The post Coming In Hot: All The Details On The F56 MINI GP3 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The Digital Divide: MINI VISION GT Review

Ali Mir — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 19:14:24 +0000

Technology has evolved so much now its very much part of our lives and who are as a person as we move from reality to the virtual world. Electronics have integrated into cars to relay information to the driver to make life behind the wheel simpler and safer. The modern car is become a more of tool in the transporting people from point A to B but to a MINIac its a place to call ‘Home’.
The PlayStation was my ‘Home’ before I could drive. The PlayStation was my escape from the real world but I have grown up with every generation of this game console and remained a PS owner only. I would play endless of amount of PlayStation classic such as Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, Wipeout, Driver, Tekken and most importantly Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo was my little nirvana of high octane adrenaline racing as I couldn’t reach the pedals at 11. In this world I could lose myself as I could go racing after completing B & A licenses for racing where you would start with a revtastic Honda Civic. That Honda was your stepping stone to learning the racing line and keeping momentum in the corners to catch up with the computer as often most you were up against faster cars but the AI back then wasn’t too clever.

Fast forward to the future and the Gran Turismo series by Polyphony Digital since 1998 has sold over 72 million copies with the game its 6th iteration exclusively to the Sony PlayStation. The brand has won the hearts and minds of gamers and petrol heads as it is still seen as the ‘Real Racing Simulator’ as the brand expanded into the real world. This first happened in 2002 where Gran Turismo creator and series producer Kazunori Yamauchi attended SEMA to judge exhibitors to give them a chance to have their car featured in a future version of Gran Turismo as a drivable vehicle. It didn’t stop with the after market world as GT brand was invited he prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to present the Gran Turismo Trophy – an award “to support those who make efforts to preserve irreplaceable, precious automotive culture for future generations to come”.
This shows how the brand has very much come a big part of the automotive world in show scene but it doesn’t stop there with the GT series sponsoring the Pikes Peak, 24 Hours of Nurburgring etc. Kaz the game creator doesn’t shy away from racing in the real world either as he is through and through petrol head as he races in various championships under the GT brand with his most prominent being the 24 hours of the Nurburgring in a modified Nissan R35 GTR.
Japanese manufacturers have often capitalised off the brand for marketing and tapping into future owners as they understood at some point these gamers will grow up to buy a car. Nissan has done this most effectively with Nissan Skyline which is now known as the GTR in its current R35 form. The official unveiling of the GTR was done in the real world and in the game at the same time giving the chance of the gamers to attempt the lap shattering record time on the Nurburgring of 7 minutes 28 seconds back in 2009.

Nissan didn’t stop there instead it went straight after the players to start the GT Academy is a driver discovery/development program initiated in 2008 through a partnership between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Polyphony Digital. This was competition to see if gamers could be turned into real racing drivers to compete in GT3 racing series. The digital divide was truly broken as winners of the Gran Turismo Academy include Lucas Ordóñez, Jordan Tresson and Jann Mardenborough have all gone on to compete in professional real-life racing with great success.
Taking the racing line back to MINI who have teamed up GT to unveiled the MINI Vision GT Concept which is essential the forth coming MINI Clubman in its JCW form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYyjj_7osdo
This digital concept is giving us an eye to where MINI will be taking the Clubman as the all engines, platform and JCW will provide. It was interesting to learn that this concept has a four wheel drive with 395 Bhp with 0 to 62 dispatched in 3.5 seconds. This MINIac has a sequential 6-speed transmission directs engine power to the permanent all-wheel drive system, guaranteeing optimum power transmission at all times, while gear shifting is achieved using wheel-mounted paddles. Fully adjustable dampers at the front and rear ensure an optimum connection with the road. The maximum speed is up to 290 km/h dependent on gear ratios.
This is not the first time MINI has added four wheel drive to the mix the Countryman being the first with All4 with great success as the uptake has been significantly high which is why most likely the forthcoming Clubman will get All4.

Looking at the concept there is a lot to like with the flared arches, front and rear carbon fibre splitters, roof spoilers and racing inspired black X headlights. The elliptical X headlamps are a hark back to the past of long-distance racers which masked their headlights to prevent the headlamp glass from splintering to avoid broken glass on the track. Sadly MINI didn’t give this concept an interior so there is no sneak peek into seeing the new Clubman interior.

Looking at just makes me hope that MINI build a touring car version of this car to take racing as it would be great speculate to see MINI having David and Goliath battles to make its way to a podium finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfGHKqL3-iw
Given this a digital car only as of yet it would only be fair for me to test this MINI to its limits on track. Time to step into my bedroom for surreal review of the MINI VISION GT concept on my PS3 as for once I am not bonded by rules of the road. Rest assured I am no slouch in the digital world as the hours I have put into the GT series through the ages but this allows to me give a comparison with previous generation MINI model which are front wheel drive.
You have been pre-warned as I do like to drift and tease the competition when I am winning which is quite often than most as I know my lines, I am patient and I know exactly when to make my move.

If your game here is my PSN: AM_AUTOS
The track I selected to review this car is the High Speed Ring in GT6 as which is a well know track I know and often use to fine tune my car collection in the digital world. The High Speed Ring gives you a good indication of how the car is at speed whilst fast corners and S corners allow you see the grip levels and corner transitions the car makes under throttle, direction change and braking. This gives me a base line on how to fine to the power levels and suspension setup to dial in toe in and chamber or oversteer to my liking.
With any race I do I always switch off the traction complete and just have the ABS set to normal to stop the brakes from stop locking up and gear changes are left in auto with opponents turned to the professional level. I opted to get the GT in the obligatory red and black JCW colours as this brought out the carbon details and key design features, there was no option to go DARK KNIGHT.

I hit the GT’s original test track of the High Speed Ring and the GT concept doesn’t hang out on the back straight as we hit a high of 160mph going into the left high banked turn. There is alot traction from the four wheel drive but it seems to under steer when pushed hard as it refuses to turn as it just gentle turns giving you worrying moments of we are too close to the barrier.
To quell the under steer you have to bring the speeds right down which is annoying when your racing as you have to opt for the slow in and fast out technique. The brakes are good and strong even with all the systems off as there is no squirming under heavy braking but again the four wheel drive system doesn’t allow any rotation or mid corner adjustments. This leaves a poor after taste which isn’t MINI go karting touch but some four ringed quattro numpty mobile as I expected a rear wheel bias on the four wheel drive system to give you some fun.

I tried numerous techniques to get the back end to rotate or get any adjustments but it doesn’t allow you at all as did the Scandinavian flick, floored the accelerator mid corner and the only thing that did it was gripping the hand brake which would send into a 90 degree slide. The slide would be short lived as soon as you got onto the power to control it as the throttle would just as equally as violently bring the car back into the straight just to tell you ‘NO I AM NOT BUILT FOR FUN’.

Told you I know how to drive ; )
Through the S bend the transitions of the car was poor as direction change was soooo slow which resulted in quick slam on the brakes to get speed low enough to get more turn in. You had to be on the brakes the for the next corner otherwise it would just under steer into the barrier as the four wheel drive system doesn’t allow any rotation or adjustment which is why I had to adopt the slow in and fast out technique.
I posted a quick time of 1 minute and 9 seconds around the circuit which is league well above any hot hatch, MINIs have always punched above their weight and easily holds it own. However there was no enjoyment from this feat as it was more of relief when I saw the chequered line as I hated driving it. In comparison to a R56 MINI Cooper S specd to because race car level (coilovers, semi slicks, bigger brakes and uprated engine to 254 Bhp) is a whole 6 seconds slower at 1 minute 15 seconds but is whole load more fun as you point and shoot at corners. The driving experience is better in the front wheel drive R56 as I can adjust mind corner and have a better sense of grip levels but all considering the R56 power deficit of over 40 Bhp which makes a huge difference in such a small car.

Looking at the overall benchmark of the VISION GT it holds own in the real world as I have lapped the circuit in completely stock Jaguar XKR-S at 1 minute 11 seconds and Murcia’s new C7 Corvette Z06 in 1 minute 8 seconds both wearing semi slick tyres with no electronic nannies. Both of these rear wheel drive powerhouses have at least 400 Bhp which just shows how much better MINIs are at putting the power to the ground and making the most of the corners.

The VISION GT as race-car does what it was built for to post the best time lap time possible. It has achieved this to the sacrifice of the infamous go karting handling for outright traction with the four wheel drive system. I am just hoping the forthcoming Clubman JCW gets the VISION GT racer look without the four wheel drive numbness.
Review Score 3/5
The VISION GT hits every apex as a race car but washes wide at retaining the MINI go kart handling at the price of four wheel drive traction. This might be a concept but many of MINI concepts aren’t far from reality to car you will own, meaning the forthcoming JCW Clubman will receive four wheel with more power and touring car looks.
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The post The Digital Divide: MINI VISION GT Review appeared first on JCW Adventures.