MINIs are supposed to be, well, mini, aren’t they? They’re not supposed to have Honda Civic Type R levels of power, nor roof spoilers that double up as emergency hurricane shelters.

The 2020 MINI John Cooper Works GP promises both of those things. And truth be told, we can’t wait.

Following news that this little firecracker will arrive next year, MINI has today confirmed a bit of news about the powertrain. The MINI JCW GP will feature a four-cylinder engine with ‘MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology’. Also known as… A Turbo.

This blown four-pot – likely a 2.0-litre – will produce in excess of 300bhp, which is knocking on the door of cars a class above. Looking at you, Type R. And, well, anything else with around 300bhp. This is a lot. It makes this JCW GP not only the most powerful, but also the fastest MINI ever built.

Hence why it’ll need the full complement of things we first saw on the mad GP concept car in 2017, pictured above. That huge roof spoiler, flared arches, lightweight materials. Perhaps a seriously strengthened diff. MINI says the suspension will be able to cope with “the exceptionally high output of the new engine”. One would hope so.

We’re told just 3,000 models of the 2020 MINI JCW GP will be built, while prototypes will be tested out on track in the coming months. MINI also takes time to reference the previous GP’s Nürburgring time (8m 23s). You just know they’re aiming to smash that.

STORY Vijay Pattni