New car news

03 February 2009 - 12:00

A lot of hot air

Next month’s Geneva show looks set to be a cracker for hot models. Car models, we mean. Now Mini has announced that it will unveil the JCW version of its new convertible in Geneva.

The Mini John Cooper Works Convertible (at least, we think that’s what it’ll be called, though there’s half a chance it might end up as the Mini John Cooper Works Mini Cooper S JCW Convertible. Or something) will be powered by the same engine as the hard-top Works car: a 155kW iteration of Mini’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-pot.

Because of the convertible’s added weight, performance will be down a fraction on the hard-top, but we’d guess the JCW Convertible will still post a seven-second 0-100km/h.

Expect plenty of kit, too: the JCW Convertible should get the same aero kit as the, er, unconvertible, along with 17-inch alloys, uprated brakes and, no doubt, a dubious array of decals and paintjobs. Well, it wouldn’t be a Mini without them.