Just found this at UK Autocar - has anyone heard about availability in the US?

New Mini gets Cooper Works treatment

26 June 2007
The latest Mini Cooper S is being sprinkled with a bit of John Cooper magic, and you’ll be able to taste the benefits in a matter of weeks.

On sale in July, the John Cooper Works (JCW) tuning kit is the first performance pack for the new Cooper S, but this is just the beginning for JCW and the second-generation BMW Mini.
According to JCW managing director Mike Cooper, son of legendary racing car maker John Cooper, “this car is all about the torque”.
Using the same twin-scroll turbocharger as the standard Cooper S - whose 1.6-litre engine was developed in conjuction with Peugeot-Citroen - power is boosted from 173bhp to 192bhp.
Torque is up from 177lb ft to 199lb ft - 19lb ft more than the previous-generation Cooper S Works.
JCW expects to sell around 10,000 kits every year. They will cost around £1400, including fitment.
Cooper relinquished ownership of the JCW brand to BMW earlier this year, allowing him to concentrate wholly on developing future products.
As well as this new tuning kit, another full-blown performance pack is expected in early 2008. This will develop over 200bhp and include uprated brakes and suspension.
Cooper is also considering the first Mini Cooper diesel performance pack, though that is at least 15 months away.
Fresh details have also emerged about the forthcoming new Mini Clubman, which won't get the Mini One's 1.4-litre petrol engine. Instead it will start with the 1.6 used in the Mini Cooper.

 

Should be available July

 

My MA says July as well, and my dealer won't sell the individual parts, only the whole package. Kinda sucks cuz I would really just like the exhaust for the improved sound and keep the car under factory warranty. Car's got plenty of power for me already!

 

the JCW package installed by Mini will not void your warranty from my understanding.

 

"As well as this new tuning kit, another full-blown performance pack is expected in early 2008. This will develop over 200bhp and include uprated brakes and suspension."

This is the first I've heard about an upgraded future kit producing 200+bhp.As far as I was aware this was all we were getting until the 'factory' JCW car is released in 2009. Anyone have any further information on this new piece of news? Is it reliable etc.?

 

I don't mind the wait, but would love to know the actual price for either.

While the current power is not bad, the breaks are mediocre at best . . .

 

I wouldn't expect much on the brake front. The '07's MCS brakes are the old car's JCW brakes - minus the red paint and decals. I would ecpect the JCW brakes for the new cars are going to be the same as the JCW brakes for the old cars.

I'm curious to see what the kit(s) consists of for the engine. At 1,400 pounds, that's about $2,500-$3,000, and if pricing is consistent with the R53 JCW kit, you might just be getting an intake, exhaust and ECU programming. They should easily be able to get the stated power increases from those mods on the new car. And if that's the case, it's likely that you could again get similar power for a lot less money through the aftermarket, as with the R53. Smooth driveability and ease of service/warranty work at the dealer is, of course, another variable.

If they eventually come out with a "kit B" that jumps it to the 220-230hp range (or more), then that could be really interesting, but I'd bet it'd also be pretty pricey.

 

Once the mad scientists at JCW come out with A 230 hp JCW R56 all-wheel drive My R53 JCW is getting the boot.

 

 

I'm all worked up now I want it to happen, imagine the performance figures and what the outcome would be

 

The dealer installed JCW R56 kit is in fact an intake, exhaust and ECU upgrade, and it will run $2,100 + instalation. You can read more about it HERE

 

The JCW brakes for the R56 are already out and are available to configure at miniusa.com as a dealer(I think) fit option. What I was curious about is the news that they will be available as part of a package with a JCW suspension kit and something which will boost horsepower to 200+ as is intimated in the above article.

 

Cool! What do I win?

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that.

 

But do you know if there is anything different about them? I haven't seen or heard anything. The configurator shows a JCW brake kit (with the red caliper in the picture) and a separate drilled rotor option. The rotors are basically a looks thing (they do look sharp, though). Since the R56 S uses esentially the R53's JCW brakes (minus the red paint), I don't know if there's some reason to justify spending $1,200 on the JCW upgrade. A set of (still extremely dusty) pads doesn't seem worth the price.