RX8Club.com - Mini Cooper S JCW

Base Price: US$ 25K

200 hp / 177 lb-ft

If some drivers thought the Mini Cooper S could use a bit more power, they're in good company. Who better to attend to this task than Mike Cooper, son of John Cooper, who was responsible for creating the Mini Cooper in the first place. He's got a tasty performance upgrade called the John Cooper Works tuning kit that'll net you a 200 horsepower Mini Cooper S from a day's work at the dealer.

The kit consists of an enlarged supercharger compressor, a modified cylinder head with higher compression, altered electronics, improved air filtration and a new exhaust system.

It boosts horsepower of the Cooper S to 200 from the standard 163, and torque to 177 lb.-ft from 162. This propels the now mighty Mini from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds. Perhaps even more impressive is the mere 5.7 seconds it takes to get from 50 to 75mph. Let’s put it this way; you don’t have trouble passing in this car.

The car feels like a little projectile from a standing start, the supercharged engine making a turbine-like whine as the car's equal-length driveshafts keep the front wheels pointed straight. The go-kart like handling and the wonderful 6-speed gearbox of the stock Cooper S is one of the best stress-reducers you can get. But the instant acceleration of the Works car increases the fun-factor that much more.

The Works Tuning Kit must be purchased and installed at a Mini dealer. Each component carries a Mini part number. 'Having the Mini part number means a lot to us,' says Mr. Cooper. 'People can buy a kit with our name on it, and have no worries about their warranty.'