Mini John Cooper Works Bulldog Racing Edition Is Built To Order And Tuned On The Nurburgring

Aug. 19, 2023 9:21 AM ET byJacob Oliva Special Editions /2 Comments

Care for a street-legal Nurburgring-ready race car right off the showroom?

Bulldog Racing, fresh off a remarkable podium finish in this year's 24 Hours of Nurburgring, has released a special editionMini John Cooper Works(JCW) to celebrate the milestone. The new Mini JCW Bulldog Racing Edition features track-focused enhancements before customer deliveries.

The highlight of the JCW Bulldog Racing Edition is the KW V3 suspension, tuned for better handling and grip by the team's pro drivers at the Nurburgring. The stock JCW rims are replaced with a set of 17-inch OZ HyperGT alloy wheels wrapped in P Zero Performance tires.

The turbocharged 231-horsepower 2.0-liter four-banger won't be enhanced like thehardcore Mini JCW GP, but it will be paired with a Remus sports exhaust for a better aural experience for the driver. The build is based on a new JCW with a 6-speed manual gearbox,just like the limited 1to6 Edition.

For better track performance, weight-saving measures are employed, particularly removing the rear seats and replacing them with a Clubsport set (strut with fitting mesh and carpet), courtesy of Stern Performance Parts.

To visually differentiate the Mini JCW Bulldog Edition models from the rest of JCWs, it comes with a large Bulldog Racing roof decor that's usually reserved for the team's race cars. Each Bulldog Racing edition has a numbered badge within the cabin to highlight its exclusivity, plus the day the suspension was set up at the Nurburgring.

"In order to be able to cater to the widest possible range for individual desires, each car is customized according to the customer's wishes and is therefore unique. Our special model shows what modifications we can make to the car," says Alexander Schabbach, Managing Director of Bulldog Racing.

The special edition model celebrates the Bulldog Racing Team'sachievement in the 24 Hours of Nurburgringthis year. It finished second place - the best finish ever within Mini's 64-year history. It completed 114 laps and covered 1,797 miles. The Bulldog Racing-tuned customer car mirrors the winning racer sans the safety equipment employed by race regulations.

"Finishing in second place and achieving the first podium for Mini after a grueling 24 hours was a great achievement. The moment we crossed the finish line, the idea of sharing this moment with our fans was born. Our biggest challenge in developing the Bulldog Racing Edition was to keep it as close as possible to our race car while making sure it is still road legal," says Schabbach.

According to Schabbach, the Bulldog Racing Team also offers to tune older Minis from 2014 onward. The cost and extent of that service, as well as the new JCW Bulldog Racing Edition's price tag, were not disclosed.