2025 Mini Cooper JCW To Race at 24 Hours of Nurburgring Race

by Carl Malek | May 20, 2024

Mini is prepared to give enthusiasts a glimpse of the future with 2025 Mini Cooper JCW. Will race it in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring Race ahead of its fall debut

Mini confirmed that the 2025 Cooper JCW will compete in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race

The current generation Mini Cooper is out to prove that it can still deliver a fun-to-drive experience despite the model growing in size since it made its debut back in the 1960s. The Mini EV proved that the car could hold its own in the EV wars. However, the missing piece of the puzzle was the JCW model which always symbolized the Cooper’s descent into a dark side where track times and punchy turbocharged engines reign supreme.

While the model is not making its official debut until this fall, Mini has decided to give enthusiasts a glimpse of the model with the company confirming that it will be entering JCW prototypes into the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race to see how the new model does when it’s pushed to its dynamic limits.

EV or ICE performance motivates this JCW

Mini’s prototypes will wear nostalgia-inspired livery including a small 37 badge in the front grille

While Mini’s release didn’t detail what’s exactly going on under the hood, prior statements by the company have confirmed that the JCW will be powered by both ICE and EV powertrains with this iteration of the JCW being the first one to offer an electrified choice for buyers. Mini even released several teaser photos of a camouflaged prototype being run on the track with the red and white colors being a nod to the livery that was used on Mini race cars in the 1960s with the “37” badge in the front grille being a nod to the brand’s victory at the 1964 Rallye Monte Carlo.

It also appears that the prototype pictured is using a traditional gasoline engine due to the centrally mounted exhaust pipe that sticks out of the rear diffuser. We suspect that the production version will have a more polished piece in place but we look forward to hearing what kind of soundtrack it’s capable of producing when the prototypes go racing out on the Nurburgring.

No photos of the interior were released either but look for the JCW model to stand out by offering model-exclusive trim pieces as well as beefier sport seats and other performance upgrades to help it stand out from the more mainstream S model on dealer lots.

What’s next?

Electrification will play a bigger role in the JCW this time around

After the 2025 Mini Cooper JCW makes its track debut in Germany on June 1st, Mini will formally reveal the model this fall. When it eventually goes on sale, the JCW will share space with the all-electric Aceman crossover as well as the revamped Countryman SUV. The Countryman also has a JCW version and both models will help form the collective spearhead of Mini’s latest attempt to win over performance buyers.

It’s also no secret that electrification will have a bigger presence in Mini’s product lineup and we suspect that the JCW models will eventually go all-electric to not only comply with BMW’s broader electrification goals for all of its vehicle empire but also to help position them as halo entries that will get buyers into showrooms. That’s especially true for EV buyers that see a JCW version when they walk into a showroom but ultimately end up buying a model like the Aceman or the Cooper EV instead which boosts sales for them.