F66 MINI Cooper JCW Caught Undisguised!

[DimON]

The F66 MINI Cooper JCW has been caught completely undisguised exposing its final design four months ahead of its debut. Photographed by Joelre98 and published on Bimmertoday.de, the late-stage prototype shows off the final design of the new F66 JCW and hints at a number of features we’ve exclusively reported on for over a year.

We’ve been reporting exclusive details on the forthcoming F66 JCW for well over a year and quite a few are confirmed with these photos.

Confirmed: a single, centered exhaust pipe

The first that must be mentioned is the single exhaust pipe. It’s something we’ve expected and have seen in numerous spy photos. But seeing it here confirmed MINI’s dramatic design decision. Why a single exhaust pipe? The F56 JCW may have had two pipes but in reality both were coming out of the same muffler. This simplifies the design and likely saves some weight. All reasons we typically see this layout of MINI race cars.

Confirmed: Design Will be (Almost) Identical to the JCW Style Package)

As predicted, the design of the new JCW will mostly mirror the optional JCW Trim we’ve already seen on the F66 MINI Cooper. There are some small deviations – really small. The red trim on the front corners and the red brake calipers are the key visual markers for a full JCW vs. JCW Style. Looking close you’ll see the unique side sills that are identical to the F56 JCW and that aforementioned single exhaust pipe.

The wheels, trim and even exclusive Legend Grey color are all the same that you get on any MINI with the JCW Style.

Confirmed: Dual Clutch Transmission Only

Looking at the interior photo you can clearly see shift paddles and no manual. As predicted MINI has killed off the manual in the JCW like it has in the rest of the range.

Why would MINI eliminate manuals, even though the F66 is mechanically identical to the F56 and could easily carry over the current Getrag 6-speed? It’s likely about simplifying drivetrain components and cutting costs within manufacturing. And for Europe (where CO2 targets are much more stringent) the manual is slightly dirtier. 

Replacing the manual is a revised 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that promises faster shift times than before and more responsive manual control via the standard steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. 

Head to Bimmertoday.de for more photos.

The post F66 MINI Cooper JCW Caught Undisguised! appeared first on MotoringFile.

View the full article