SPY PICS: MINI hot laps the Nurburgring

Exactly what this hunkered-down white and red MINI - spotted recently by the photographers at Carparazzi as it ran hot laps at the Nurburgring – is, or was, is anybody’s guess.

Based on the regular MINI three-door hatch, the Nurburgring car was running oversize wheels and sitting very close to the ground. Carparazzi’s team spotted an aggressive rear diffuser, dual centre exhausts and a revised front fascia with a gaping air intake.

With its pillar-box red roof, the car connects visually to the two factory-entered 184kW/330Nm MINI John Cooper Works Coupé Endurance models that competed in the 2011 Nurburgring 24 Hours. The lead car raced to as high as 47th position outright early in the event but, although it continued on to the finish, it was hindered by engine problems believed to emanate from the car’s electronics.

Speculation is that the car spotted at the Nurburgring could be a special JCW Challenge edition destined to farewell the current series as it makes way for a next-generation model expected in late 2013 or early 2014. Word is that the next MINI will offer various engine configurations from two, to three or four cylinders, and that the platform will be shared with BMW’s upcoming front-drive, light hatch – a car that is unlikely to be tagged as a 1 Series.

— with Carparazzi

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