Mini's Cooper Works hardtop boosts power by 25%

As if a Mini car wasn't fun enough, along comes a next generation for the souped-up version.

Mini has unveiled the John Cooper Works hardtop, which it says will have the most powerful engine it has ever installed in a Mini. Performance, as a result, is improved.

The JCW Mini develops a lot of power from a relatively small engine — a 2-liter, four-cylinder powerplant that spits 228 horsepower. At 5.9 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph, the latest JCW Mini is 0.3 second, or 5%, faster than the model it replaces. (That's with the six-speed automatic; the six-speed manual requires an extra 0.2 second to cover the same distance.)

The engine is 25% more powerful than the one it replaces, Mini says. It has 39% more power than the Mini Cooper S.

Mini says it took its lessons in developing the new JCW hardtop straight from the raceway. Besides its hot engine, it has a sports exhaust system, suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside, it has racing seats.

"Ever since legendary designer John Cooper discovered the racing talent the classic Mini presented in the early 1960s, his name has stood for maximum driving fun and success on the race track with the small British car," Mini says.