Dealer parts were available to make Mini Cooper John Cooper Works base models. If you have modified your car with these JCW parts can you please post pictures? Thanks.

 

Wasn't that only for the first gen? Or is this something new for the R56s??

 

When I purchased my 2008 base, the dealer/factory JCW brochure listed components available such as aero kits, suspension, and all other items as dealer installed for these 2nd generation cars. I still have the brochure at home. I wish that I could have afforded some of these options. The only things not available were the engine tuning parts. Attached is one that I found that has all the JCW parts; steering wheel, door sills, aero kit, shifter ****, badges, suspension etc. Its a real nice car and thought that there may be more of these out there. Thanks for asking.

 

The JCW aero kit and the factory aero kit were options for the Justa Cooper. Meaning the rear bumper had the cut out for the single exhaust pipe on the right as opposed to the dual exhaust in the center on the S and JCW.

 

Here's a picture that brandon_h posted in the "Show us your JCW Bodykits" thread recently:

 

This is a picture that I came across in the past here on NAM. Its a nice look. But this guy should take the JCW badge off the rear. Having a JCW aero kit does not mean you have a JCW car.

I would rather have a Cooper S then spend the money to put the JCW aero kit on a Justa.

 

Yeah I dont see the point of the JCW kit on a Cooper...

 

Umm... Because people like the way it looks?

I completely agree with onefish that if I had 3k to spend at tine of order, that I would choose an MCS over a JCW body kit. That being said, some people put the looks before the power whether they have 23k, 27k, or 35k to spend on a MINI. Saying that "you don't see the point of the JCW kit on a Cooper" could be said for the MCS as well... Why buy an MCS with a JCW body kit when you could put that money toward an actual JCW? Why put a JCW kit on a JCW even when you could add performance parts? Because that's what the owner wants.

 

Mini must have thought otherwise to offer these options for a base cooper as to when it is a JCW. So a JCW is only a JCW when it has.......the engine components? Or, only when it is ordered as a JCW? I seem to remember that Mini only started making JCW's at the factory recently so as to what constituted a JCW was left up to the owner as he could pick and choose from the options? So all stated JCW's before that date are not considered JCW's? Hey, I just wanted to see cars with the options as I think they look great. Ask base owners though...they love their cars too. What constitutes a JCW then.... and when? Thanks all.

 

I am all for people adding JCW parts to their Coopers and Cooper S's. JCW, as a "sub-brand" now owned by MINI, makes MINI performance and appearance parts for all MINI models, much like AMG for Mercedes, M for BMW, etc.

That being said, it's my opinion that no matter what you do to you E550/335/Cooper/etc, they will never be a 'real' E63/M3/JCW. They may be a 335 with a crapload of M parts or a Cooper with a JCW catalog thrown at it... They might even offer *higher* performance than their 'official' counterparts... But they are still not the 'real thing', and shouldn't be badged or misrepresented as such.

Case in point, I've got an all-motor V6 Mustang that makes as much peak power as a similar-year Mustang GT... It also looks better (IMO), has Mach 1 suspension, and Cobra brakes. Still, it's not a GT or a Cobra no matter what parts it has or how fast it is. This is all my opinion of course

Again, I'm all for adding performance parts and tasteful appearance mods to Cooper's and MCSs, but I wouldn't at any point consider them to be 'real' JCWs.

 

Since the "JCW Aero kit" doesn't come standard on the JCW trim level cars in the U.S., I'd argue that (for this country at least), there's no connection between the kit and the factory JCW cars. I've also never seen anything to suggest that the "Aero kit" has any significant performance benefit over the standard bodywork - making it a simple appearance package rather than a performance part, regardless of the trim level of the car it's installed on.

 

Here we are at war again. No wars needed just provide information. And to the OP search is bad on this site but there are plenty of posts about the aero kits on a Justa and Google images has tons of pics.

My point with the picture that I posted was that the owner put the JCW badge on the right side of his cars boot. It does not belong there. That is the location and badge for a 09+ factory JCW. If that badge were on the left side of the boot then that would designate that a Cooper S has the Stage 1 Kit. That Stage 1 kit provides a new airbox, exhaust, ECU tune or re-flash and JCW badges for the front bumper and on the boot.

Yes, JCW kits in varying stages were available on Gen 1 cars but they were installed at the dealership as bolt on parts.

Starting in 2008 you could get MY 2009 cars that were JCW from the factory with many options and enhancements over and above what you could get on a Cooper S. This included ECU re-map, larger turbo. JCW exhaust, big brake kit etc.

Of course you can buy JCW parts from MINI and put them on your car. There are many parts including:

CF parts such as door pulls, dash board pieces, gear shifter, hood scoop etc
Big brake kits
Strut brace
Stage 1 kit for the Cooper S
And of course the JCW aero kit for Cooper, Cooper S and JCW cars.

No opinion provided just information. No go forward and be informed.

 

I should have said that also. I would rather pay for more go than show .

 

Agreed. I prefer go over show, as well... and while I do make some appearance changes to my vehicles that people may *infer* to mean higher performance (Upgraded wheels, exhaust, etc), I would stop way short of badging that *indicates* a much higher level of performance (JCW emblems on a 120hp Cooper, Cobra emblems on a V6 Mustang, etc).

 

The badges and positioning .......I see on the front of the cars that they can appear in many different places on the grill: top right, top left, lower grill right, lower grill left etc. Who places these where they are? This is in reference to the badge on the back being on the right side instead of of left side. Is that his way of saying thats its not a JCW factory car?

 

Factory JCWs have the badges in the bottom right of the hatch on the back, and the bottom right of the lower grill on the front. These badges are applied at the factory. All factory JCWs have the turbo engine with bigger turbo, brakes, etc.

The only way for an MCS to get MINI-sanctioned JCW emblems is to get the JCW Tuning kit, which provides emblems that are supposed to be on the bottom left of the hatch and the left side of the upper front grill.

The "base" Cooper was not intended by MINI to have any such JCW emblems anywhere on the exterior, no matter what JCW parts are purchased.

Disclaimer: this is all in reference to 2nd gen MINIs. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

 

Oh... well I knew about the aesthetic stuff. The R50's had a package for a while that actually up'd their performance specs, I thought that's what the OP was talking about. Not just stuff to make a cooper look like a JCW.

 

So we know that 2nd gen JCW's 2009 and above are factory "real deals". The 1st gen's are questionable (sorry 1st gen owners) due to customer and dealer opinions and options. Mini provided some parts for base Mini's including suspension tuning to increase performance levels and improve upon looks but for some this doesn't constitute a JCW. And only engine tuning makes a JCW a JCW. Okay thanks. Does that sum it up?

 

Im talking about 2nd Gen cars. There were factory JCW first gens and there was a JCW kit for the R60 that may have come with JCW badges... I'm not sure. Regarding 2nd gens, these are my opinions which are based a lot on what MINI says/offers for these cars. Only a Factory JCW can be factory JCW... I think that's safe to say. You can't make a legitimate factory JCW with parts added post-factory. So, the question is, can you consider any MINI to be "JCW" that isn't a factory JCW. IMO, the answer comes from MINI. The only car that MINI officially sanctions to have exterior JCW badging on the car (not just a particular part (wheels, for instance) is an MCS with the Stage 1 JCW kit, in which case I would agree with MINI that that could be considered a Stage 1 JCW MCS. Anything else would be, IMO, an MC or MCS equipped with JCW parts/wheels/suspension/etc, but shouldn't be referred to as "a JCW" or "a JCW MC/MCS.

Again, my opinion on 2nd Gen cars, but its based at least somewhat on MINIs official offerings, equipment, badging, etc.

 

actually installed: JCW Aero & JCW seats

 

Very nice! Love the seats.

 

Looking at the brochure.....the grey zone is the 2007 and 2008 then based on your comments. All JCW parts for gen 2 cars were offered "post factory". Isn't that how you got a JCW and the badge? They were dealer installed parts. All JCW parts were offered for base models too with the exception of the following: engine tune kit, hood scoop and drilled rotors. An alternative JCW brake kit was offered for base models. So based on what Mini was willing to offer buyers/owners they must have considered that a "base" with parts regardless of what they were could be considered a base JCW minus the engine tune, hood scoop and drilled rotors. Then there would be the Mini MCS JCW with any and/or all JCW parts listed in the brochure.

ChubV : excellent car. To me it has always been one of the most admired cars on NAM. Great base model.

 

The only difference between 07-08 and later years is that there were no factory JCWs in 07-08. At that point, the only way to get MINI-sanctioned JCW badges was to get the Stage 1 kit, which comes with badges. Just because MINI offers JCW parts for the Cooper doesn't make it a JCW Cooper, just like putting BMW-offered M parts on a 335 doesn't make it an M3.

If buying JCW parts constitutes a "JCW Cooper", how many parts does it take? If I have a JCW steering wheel, can I consider my Cooper a JCW Cooper? That's why I go by when MINI supplies JCW badging (Factory cars and Stage 1 MCSs only) because, among other reasons, where do you draw the line?

 

My point exactly.......where does it start and where does it end. Looks like it is open for interpretation. Thanks Blainestang. Pictures please!

 

Well, that's my point, that if you don't go by MINI, then that leaves it TOO open to interpretation... Where people with one piddly JCW part can start claiming they own JCW Coopers.

But anyway, if the picture of brandon_h's car didn't work (it doesn't show up on my phone), you should definitely go chichi it out at that other thread. There are additional pics as well. It's a great looking Cooper, for sure.