MINI does not show that number yet.. but brackets and "Pendelstangen" and "Schwenklager" are common parts.

 

At least I know now why and how the GP3 has more "Sturz", but I guess you know that already ;-)

 

Only by what I read here and on other forums! Mine has been "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" for what seems like an eternity! I am like a kid at Christmas which never seemed to arrive either! Realistically, with the virus issue here in the U. S. there is very little traveling and the fun events with groups of minis aren't happening. But, when it finally does arrive there are a lot of good, twisty back roads in our area that are a lot of fun with the proper little beast!

 

You will not be disappointed!

 

A 1:05 is a respectable time for LRP. I don’t know what they mean by a record. I know that Ian Prout turned a 1:02.8 in a Honda Si race car. I couldn’t find any times for the MINIs when they were racing in the ST Class in IMSA. I know that to pull a second out of a cars time is pretty monumental on that track. It is hard to pull 10ths out. I may need to find a copy of that magazine and read up on it.

 

 

Can't take it through a car wash? No thanks! Really harsh suspension? No thanks (the JCW Coupe with the SS was enough of that). I'll stick with the dynamic dampers this time lol!

 

they didn’t market the car to you, and that’s okay. Let me enjoy it the exact way I want it. :P hopefully you’ll be able to pick up the jcw gp pack, Should be able to get dynamic dampers and a manual transmission, should you want it.

 

I was just kidding! Hey I need to fit a couple sets of golf sticks in my car too. What is the JCW GP pack? I now see the reason for those big black plastic fenders (to allow for the wider tires). I had thought they had some brake cooling function or something, but my car's lower front grille has a cutout for that.

 

LOL! Did you order one?
but yes, everything has a purpose on the car, which is nice. Also, the fender flares are not perceivable from over 15 feet away and really hug the body of the car in all the right ways. I’m glad I won’t need to get spacers for it either. The suspension design is based off the countryman which is part of the reason the track is so wide.

this is the JCW GP pack, http://www.motoringfile.com/2020/06/...works-gp-pack/
though many will claim its the m package all over again. I think that it gives a number of people the option to pretty much get the car they thought the GP would be. I’d really love to see it merged with a tune to bring the output of the jcw up to the previous jcw clubman/countryman levels, but that can be done easily with a piggy back if it’s not. I’d love for them to go a step further and offer to remove the back seats.

I do obviously understand this whole thing could be a marketing mistake. The price could be over the top, they could not make the necessary changes to the car, not offering the 8 speed if you go automatic, or not offering the 3D printed paddles. But for now, I am going to remain hopeful.

 

I took our R50 through a touch less car wash, and the sprayers ripped the MINI emblem and the 3rd brake light off the back... None of my MINIs are ever going to the car wash again...

 

Well, I attempted to remove the luggage bar from the back of my GP today. It....didn't go as planned. Here's my write up:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...raint-bar.html

 

You have to be kidding me!

A broken EZ-out is never a good thing. Seems like they put it together with red loctite or maybe have it pinned on the backside???

MINI, with each successive generation, has made it harder and harder to do mods on these cars... I found in the suspension they use Torx head bolts. Who has an E18 Torx socket in their tool box? While I found that a 12 point SAE socket would fit it, that won’t be for long. Those will be nonexistent after a few years after a few years up here in the rust-belt...

 

I showed my wife Doug D's video and she got a kick out of the fender flares. How's the steering compared to a mod'd JCW? I'm looking for 1/4 turn lock-to-lock quickness.

 

I'm not quite blaming Mini yet. There's a significant chance I did something wrong. I'm not good at doing things like this

 

And I might be frustrated with the JCW because of not being able to get tires and wheels to fit without rubbing and brake calipers that match the M2 and other BMWs but they made them a 10th of an inch narrower so the BMW pads don’t fit. As a result, there is little in the way of aftermarket track pads for the car.... Ugh

I hope you get it worked out ok!...

 

GP Pack

they are not in a position to place the 200 Euro splitter, but the 1000 Euro paddle set. Wellcome in the MINI world.

Just a tip buy Cooper S + Aerokit + custom wrap, use GP parts of your interest, you save 20.000-10.000 correlates with the pose factor .

The front spades 88,-- Euro/ea. don't show any car id, poor Minipog?

PS if you drag them down, they are nice wheel extensions for 9 inch wheels,with camber 10" and they fit 1:1
For that price a clear buy !

 

A good wet tire !

 

interesting thought, but using a winter tire on the track is frowned upon around here. (Edited)

Besides, MINIs do great in the rain with most any tire. Rain, the great equalizer...

 

That's why I am keeping my F56 JCW as well, it has all the bells and whistles and is a great touring car with some punch. But, the GP will help with challenging the Subaru WRX STIs, and the Honda's, and other twisty beasties! Now, if mini will ever load it on the ship for me and send it over I will be all set and happy!

 

Top Gear MINI GP3 Review

Interesting read.

 

With page after page of ragging on the auto, they would pick an 8 speed auto JCW over the GP... What?

Reviews about these cars are all over the place...

 

I said this elsewhere regarding Top Gear specifically. but it applies to literally every review I have seen.
"Top gear has never understood performance MINIs, holding onto an antiquated view that MINIs can’t be high performance, and by definition must be fun only at the detriment of anything else. Not surprising they gave a bad score to a car they don’t understand."

It really is an issue to me that reviewers chose to place their opinions of what the GP should be over what MINI literally told us it would be. Every article released during development said it was to be a track-focused car, one that could run lap after lap consistently. An automatic transmission follows this vision, as it is easier to keep constant, and more importantly faster. I still don't understand the idea that if you are not chasing a sub 7 second Nurburgring time, you should have a manual. This is obviously a double standard the automotive press only holds against MINI, too; as everyone suggests taking VW's DSG over the manual.

To me, the most telling review is Doug DeMuro literally giggling like a school kid on camera, I have never seen him literally lose his train of thought like that.

 

It is what it is, a mini with gusto. I should have mine by the end of the month if the container ship doesn't sink!

 

I think it's a combination of things and without getting into too much detail, yes the entire chassis of the GP3 is different than the base F56, but because of the automatic, the GP3 has become more of a point/shoot car vs. the GP2. I guess to Top Gear and probably other reviewers, you can get most of what you get in a GP3 in a S/JCW for a cheaper price tag. It's a fair argument and depending on who you ask and what someone might be looking for, they may or may not agree with that.

I test drove my co-workers GP3 the fun is there (300HP+ is something else on this chassis) and it has more BMW in it which is actually a good thing. Would I buy one over a F56 JCW? Probably but it isn't as easy of a choice as it was with the GP2 where it would be an easy "yes" over the R56 JCW.