2025 MINI Cooper JCW – What the Nurburgring 24 Revealed

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MINI did something extraordinary at the 2024 Nurburgring 24 Hours. It actually raced a pre-production 2025 MINI JCW and won its class. While the new JCW Cooper has yet to even debut, we now know quite a bit about MINI’s new hot hatch. We even have an idea of how much faster it is compared to the F56 JCW.

A car that hasn’t even debuted yet won its class in the most grueling 24 hours endurance race. How is that even possible? For one it was campaigned by Bulldog Racing which has years of experience at the ‘Ring. Secondly, while it was fast, it crucially never broke down.

How much faster is the F66 JCW vs the F57?

While we don’t have final answers there’s one stat that is very telling from this year’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Since Bulldog Racing Campaigned both the manual F56 1to6 JCW and the F66 JCW (and both were prepped in similar ways) we have a decent baseline to understand the speed differences. At least around a track like the Nurburgring. The fastest time the F56 1to6 was able to see was 10:44.118. The F66 JCW shattered that time with a 10:06.773. Why the difference? Traffic is insane at the N24 but traffic can’t account for all of that difference. We think a lot of it has to do with the small but important changes MINI has made.

How Much production JCW Was Really In the Race Car?

A lot as it turns out. But let’s first talk about what was changed. Bulldog racing installed an adjustable coil-over suspension, AP racing braking system and a mandated roll cage and racing fuel tank.

Critically the engine and transmission are stock and from what we hear we’re generally untouched. Bit the big question is what’s the output? Sources tell us that it’s identical to the 231 hp B48 that the F56 JCW launched with in 2015.

Model	F56 Cooper JCW	F66 Cooper JCW
Power	231 hp	231 hp
Torque	235 lb-ft/1450 rpm	258 lb-ft/1,250 rpm
Transmission	Manual/Auto	7 speed DCT
Drivetrain	front-wheel	front-wheel
Length (mm/in)	3863mm/152.1 in	3876mm/152.6 in
Height (mm/in)	1414mm/55.66 in	1432mm / 56.38 in
Wheelbase (mm/in)	2495mm/98.23 in	2495mm/98.23
Curb weight (kg/lbs)	1295 kg / 2855 lbs	TBA

The F66 JCW – Photo courtesy of IG user Joere98 and Bimmertoday.de

Dual Clutch Transmission Only

The race car was dual clutch and as you can see in the test car, there are clearly 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. But that allowed for faster lap times for the F66 with ultra consistent shift points.

The transmission in the F66 JCW race car is the same revised 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that we’ll see in the production JCW. It promises faster shift times than before and more responsive manual control via the standard steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. 

When Will The F66 JCW Debut?

We should finally see it in full production glory this October alongside its all-electric sibling, the J01 Cooper JCW. Until then look for more exclusive news on both models that should help give us a full picture of MINI’s ultimate Cooper.

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