John Cooper: A MINI story

2015 MINI Cooper JCW,  2006 MINI Cooper S &

In the annals of motorsport history, the Cooper name ranks right up with the most influential of all.

The Cooper Car Company, founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and son John, would provide Formula One with its first winning rear-engine design in 1958 before winning the layout’s first drivers’ and constructors’ championship crowns in 1959 with Aussie, the late Sir Jack Brabham at the helm.

Arguably even more enduring is John Cooper’s association with the Mini, a relationship that has lasted over half a century. It remains highlighted today by the 2015 MINI JCW.

But let’s turn back the clock for a moment. The location?.. Mid-1950s Great Britain.

The British Motor Corporation (BMC) was hampered by the Suez Canal crisis of 1956, as political posturing for control of this major oil supply route reached a crescendo. With the real threat of fuel rationing shadowing automotive life in the United Kingdom, BMC brass decided to take action.

They pulled gun designer Alec Issigonis (knighted in 1969) out of the experimental department and asked him to concentrate solely on a new small car.

Issigonis’ fertile mind focused on maximising usable cabin space in a super-compact package, capable of carrying four adults and some luggage to boot. The initial concepts were shown to BMC in 1957 and knowing he was onto a winner, he added a kicker: he would only design the car to production if given a free hand.

BMC agreed, and history now tells the story of his success.

The resultant Mini made its production debut in August 1959, with 80 per cent of its floor pan available for passenger and luggage accommodation. But it was in applications beyond the practical that attracted John Cooper.

A friend of Issigonis, John Cooper’s motorsport resume was already beyond reproach.

Stirling Moss took the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix aboard a Cooper T43 to commence the mid-engine racing revolution. From there, Coopers would dominate the drivers’ and constructors’ titles for the next two years.

The Mini’s space-maximising layout, with each 10-inch road wheel’s placement optimised for footprint, did wonderful things for chassis balance. It was like the tiny car was built with racing in mind…

It wasn’t, and it was in the face of Issigonis’ protestations that Cooper convinced BMC to build a run of 1000 Cooper-badged Minis in 1961. Powered by larger 997cc versions of the simple BMC four-cylinder, the cars boasted a reasonable (then) 41kW and front disc brakes.

Buoyed by the Cooper’s success, a further-improved Cooper S was launched in 1963. Initially producing 52kW from an enlarged, over-square 1071cc engine, it was soon joined by a 48kW, short-stroke 970cc screamer, conveniently sized to slip into the under 1.0-litre class for racing.

It was in 1964, however, that the full-fat (That’s relative!) Cooper S arrived. Sharing the 70.61mm bore of the 970 and 1071, the 1275cc featured a longer 81.33mm stroke to produce superior torque for 1300cc class racing and rallying, along with 57kW.

The Mini Cooper S was a dominant force on racetrack and rally stage. As a works entrant it won the Monte Carlo rally from 1964-65, as well as 1967. The 1966 miss? The French organisers disqualified the podium-filling Minis on a dubious lighting infringement, allowing Pauli Toivonen’s Citroen to take victory.

On local soil the Cooper S also took the outright victory at the 1966 Gallagher 500 at Bathurst – traditionally a circuit that favoured power – with Bob Morris and rally ace Rauno Aaltonen sharing the steering.

The classic Cooper S continued through to 1971, running concurrently with the ‘square-nose’ updated Mini range introduced in 1969. There was a reprieve of the Cooper name on UK-built Minis – with John Cooper’s input – under Rover ownership in 1990, however none had the effervescent character of the Cooper S.

By the mid-1990s the British car industry was struggling once more, with little development funding available. Rover was acquired by BMW in 1994, and allowed to continue producing classic-style Minis while the German behemoth developed a modern replacement.

When the new MINI arrived, in a case of history repeating, BMW turned to Cooper to add character. Founded in 2000, the John Cooper Works business was formed by John’s son, Michael.

The first JCW kit was designed for the naturally-aspirated MINI Cooper. It gleaned an additional 8kW from the 1.6-litre engine, taking it to 93kW. But it was the first application of the ‘John Cooper Works’ tuning kit to the supercharged 1.6-litre Cooper S in 2002 that re-established MINI as a true performance presence.

Initially these kits couldn’t be factory-ordered; instead, they had to be fitted by an authorised MINI dealer. Modifications to cylinder-head, supercharger, exhaust and ECU gleaned 147kW, up from 120kW. BMW archives show the ‘Cooper S with John Cooper Works Tuning Kit’ (we’ll stick with JCW from here) conversion cost an additional $9600, at a time when the complete Cooper S cost $39,900.

From August 2005 production the JCW kit became available ‘ex-works’ for $47,700 (plus on-roads), with further additions including uprated fuel injectors and a new intake pushing power to 154kW.

There was also a range of JCW options to fit, including sports suspension and braking systems. All could be retro-fitted to BMW-era Cooper S models.

Immediately, the relatively tiny footprint of Ryan Lednar’s 1968 Cooper S is apparent. Once you open the driver’s door, however, the true Issigonis genius hits you.

There’s comfortable headroom and reasonable legroom, even for those over 180cm tall. The cabin is also bright and airy, but the tiny pedals are a reminder of the car’s size. If you’re ever lucky enough to drive a classic Cooper S, wear narrow shoes.

The 1275 A-Series engine fires with a carburettor-fed bark, and bubbles happily away. Reach out for the four-speed manual shifter (it’s further than you think), grab the oddly-angled tiller and feed the power in.

Accompanied by a sweet, incessant exhaust note, the Cooper S revs quickly and happily, pushing quickly into fourth gear. It’s not fast by 2015 micro-car standards, but it’s so much more connected, the wheels-at-each-extremity feedback indicating the Mini rides small bumps beautifully on its 70-series tyres. B

eing so light, the manual steering is no hardship on the move, and offers the opportunity to set the car up with whatever stance you like. The supple suspension takes up the load progressively, and the throttle can assist the process -- a lift readily tucks the nose.

Suddenly, those pictures of John Rhodes throwing a Cooper S into a British circuit corner with the front wheels ablaze makes sense; plain and simple, the Cooper S gives you options.

Almost 50 years separate Lednar’s Cooper S from the 2006 R53 Cooper S JCW, but the lineage remains clear: A Cooper, particularly with an S in the name, is all about giant-killing performance.

This particular example, owned by Mark Hewish, has been further modified for spirited ClubMINI runs, further focusing the JCW’s responses.

The highly-tuned 1.6-litre four-pot’s intake noise is dominated by supercharger whine; a characterful hallmark of the early BMW MINI Cooper S that is missing in today’s turbocharged version. Interestingly, the engine feels stronger higher in the rev-range, contrasting the traditional supercharged experience of strong low and mid-range torque.

There’s a slick six-speed manual on offer and the powered steering turns the R53’s nose in with taut alacrity… There’s no body-roll here, but the ride on the firmed suspension can jar. Braking is also impressive, enhancing the overall package, though when Mark tells me that a fully-specified JCW would sit on a showroom floor at $80,000 in period, the romance is tempered somewhat.

In contrast, the brand-new 2.0-litre 2015, factory-built JCW (there’s no kits any more) is priced from $47,400 (plus on-roads) in six-speed manual form, or $49,950 (plus on-roads) for the six-speed automatic variant carving Great Ocean Road corners today.

There’s no ignition key here; instead you flick a toggle switch to fire the turbocharged four-pot. It fires with a keen edge, just like its 1968 ancestor.

On the road, the latest car to bear the John Cooper name continues to refer back to its past. It’s easy for the driver able to place the MINI comfortably within its own lane; perfect for the GOR’s threading between sand dune and cliff face.

Steering response remains a strong-suit, though the weighting is electrically-adjustable and less ‘natural’ than in the others. This is a feeling that’s exacerbated by the run-flat tyres. Outstanding braking ability – in the context of its competition – is, however, right on the money.

With 170kW and 320Nm on tap, the latter from only 1250rpm, the latest JCW eats straights, a feeling intensified by the quick-shifting auto gearbox. It will even fire up the inside-front tyre out of hairpins; a trait epitomised by John Rhodes’s 1960s racer.

Despite dwarfing the original, the most modern take on the John Cooper name delivers a fresh chapter on the legend. It’s bigger, more comfortable and more powerful than ever, but the JCW essence continues to make waves.

A huge thanks must go to ClubMINI (Peter Williams in particular), member Mark Hewish and Ryan Lednar from Shannons  for loaning their vehicles.

2015 MINI Cooper JCW pricing and specifications:
Price: $49,950 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Output: 170kW/320Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.8L/100km (EU claim)
CO2: 133g/km (EU claim)
Safety Rating: Not yet rated (MINI Cooper, four star (ANCAP))

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Video

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