Future classic: MINI Cooper S JCW

By Alastair Clements

| 14 Nov 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: MINI Cooper S JCW

As electrification becomes ever more widespread, increasingly our Future classic candidates are last-of-the-line models, and this madcap John Cooper Works version of the fourth-generation BMW MINI could be its final gasoline incarnation, and among the last small hot hatches powered by internal combustion.

It certainly means business, all scoops and spoilers with a purposefully square stance on handsome alloy wheels: still with some of the signature MINI cheekiness, but also more than a little bit naughty.

Like all of the BMW-era cars, the F66’s interior feels beautifully made yet also fun and funky, with a huge central dial that can be personalized with various slightly gimmicky ‘Experiences’, though only the ‘Go-kart’ setting gives a proper tachometer.

The MINI’s ‘Go-kart’ mode gives access to a real rev counter and a g-force meter (left); the Cooper S JCW has a comfortable cabin, despite the fact it’s the feistiest model in the line-up

JCW spec brings an extra 27bhp and 59lb ft, along with additional chassis bracing, bespoke springs and dampers, plus more negative camber at the front.

Fire up and there’s a gurgling burble from the single central exhaust, and you find yourself hunting around for a gearlever before remembering that you can’t buy a manual MINI any more, so instead you select drive modes via a toggle switch.

Happily, shifts through the seven-speed dual-clutch auto are snappy and the combination of a torquey 2-liter turbo engine and relatively light weight (for a modern – it’s still a whopping 1330kg) mean that performance is thrilling.

The MINI Cooper S JCW’s 2-liter turbo engine has lots of character

More impressive, though, is the delivery: it feels as if there is plenty of urge throughout the rev range, with peak torque from 1500 to 4000rpm, at which point the powerband is really getting into its stride, not tailing off until after its 6000rpm zenith.

The four-pot sounds urgent, with a rasping edge accompanied by an addictive turbo whistle and wastegate whoosh that encourages you to press on.

It would be ridiculous to suggest there is any shared DNA between today’s MINI and the Alec Issigonis original, but there is a familiarity to the way this little rascal dives into corners, easily adjusted on the throttle with its rear axle dancing as its front tires hang on gamely.

‘Fire up and there’s a gurgling burble from the single central exhaust’

The steering is alive, well-weighted and responsive, like all the controls you interact with, while the superb driving position and chunky wheel give confidence.

Even at near double the size of a ’59 Mini it feels compact and nimble, and only the rock-hard ride can be a hindrance: it adds to the car’s sense of liveliness, but also forces you to back off on a poorly surfaced country road to avoid unwanted agricultural excursions.

Crucially, for both a MINI and a hot hatch, this is a car that makes you smile even on the most mundane journeys.

If this does end up as a last hurrah, it’s not a bad way to bow out.

Images: Max Edleston