We’re there: after completion of all development activities, there is now a full AC Schnitzer accessory range for the MINI. A performance upgrade for the MINI Cooper S, an aerodynamics range, suspension components with wheel/tyre combinations, and accessories for the interior – leaving nothing to be desired.

Thanks to the AC Schnitzer engineers, the standard engine which already developed a substantial 120 kW / 163 HP using compressor technology, has now been given a further boost in performance by optimising the compressor ratios and simultaneously remapping the control unit. After the AC Schnitzer treatment, the 1.6 l power plant delivers a powerful 142 kW / 193 HP at 7,000 rpm. Equipped in this way, the MINI Cooper S takes just 7.0 seconds to sprint from 0 – 100 km/h and has a top speed of 235 km/h. To improve response behaviour, the performance upgrade is combined with the AC Schnitzer special steel sports rear silencer with chromed tailpipe.

Of course it’s worth fitting the AC Schnitzer rear silencer even without the performance upgrade. But here the customer faces a choice. Two variants are available for the MINI One and the MINI Cooper: a twin-pipe exhaust system with two oval tailpipes in right/left combination, or a single oval tailpipe design. And for the MINI Cooper S there’s a third, exclusive version: a centrally positioned sports rear silencer in the new AC Schnitzer Racing tailpipe design.

Whatever variant the customer chooses, he’s guaranteed a throaty sound and attractive integration of the rear silencer into the rear of the MINI in all cases. The AC Schnitzer rear skirt not only integrates the silencer but also makes the MINI look much more powerful.

For the front there’s also a complete skirt which, with its generously dimensioned front grille and chrome frame, gives the MINI a new, brighter face. But the aerodynamic conversion doesn’t just provide the finishing touch visually. Made from high quality PU-Rim, it ensures better downforce and is easy to paint and fit.

The styling range for the exterior is completed with designer stripes and the AC Schnitzer logos “Technology & Design” available in white or anthracite.

The absolute eyecatcher – for viewers on both the outside and inside – is the AC Schnitzer folding roof which with its 710 x 810 mm opening almost gives the Mini that wonderful cabriolet feeling.

The MINI’s driving dynamics are further improved by suspension components which lower the vehicle by around 30 mm, in conjunction with the AC Schnitzer Type I alloys in 7.5J x 17″ with tyres 215/40 R 17. Spring kits are already available for all MINI models and will soon be joined by an AC Schnitzer sports suspension – currently however still in the trial phase. So it’s no wonder that the subjective driving impressions are similar to a Go-Kart on twisty roads or at high speeds.
For tyres we recommend high performance tyres by Continental and Michelin.

The famous “finishing touch” is given by interior components such as the aluminium pedal sets with matching footrest cover, the aluminium gear knob and the aluminium handbrake handle. Last but not least, special foot mats are available with the two-colour embroidered AC Schnitzer “Technology & Design” logo.

Retro but not old-fashioned sassy and practical authentic but no copy: Few cars have mastered the balancing act as well as the new MINI, the latest generation of which is now in the showrooms. In design terms it remains true to its predecessor, but doesn’t stop there technically. In detail no MINI looks like the next, because individuality takes priority amongst its owners.

Anyone wanting to stand out from the crowd of MINI owners, not just in appearance but also in performance, should turn to AC Schnitzer. The present focus of the tuner’s development activities is the new 170 HP turbo engine in the Cooper S, for which AC Schnitzer develops a performance upgrade. And when the driver puts the power down, the sound track plays loud and clear, thanks to the sonorous twin sports silencer with chromed Racing tailpipe.

Full gas to the next corner and through it at full speed! Touring Car legend Manfred Wollgarten set up the AC Schnitzer racing suspension on the North Loop of the Nrburgring – and it runs rings round the already very good standard suspension. You can feel the difference just with the AC Schnitzer suspension spring kit. But back from the track to the city: Out of the reflective glass facades flashes the face of a model athlete.

AC Schnitzer achieves this masterpiece with a few tricks. The front bumper has a new front spoiler. Painted in body colour, and with its striking prominent corners, it sets clear visual highlight. The sassy rear has also been subtly lifted. The rear skirt from AC Schnitzer, painted in contrast to standard, has a diffuser which effectively pulls the MINI down to the tarmac.

Two sporting wheel designs, the brand-new Bicolor wheel Mi2 in 7.5 x18″ and the Mi1 in the classic AC Schnitzer look in 7.5 x 17″, complete the sporting range. And naturally the enthusiastic MINI fan has a wealth of matching accessories for the interior. Such as the attractive controls and sports pedals of aluminium naturally from AC Schnitzer.

The energetic forty-eight-year-old chairman of John Cooper Works and son of the eponymous founder and racing legend ushers a multinational group of journalists into his garage here in southern England. As we cross the threshold of his gleaming showroom, three young Sussex lasses–”my girls,” says Cooper without a hint of irony–wearing matching T-shirts with “MINI” emblazoned unsubtly across their chests smile and offer refreshment. Cooper is nothing if not a gracious host, and entertaining the press must be child’s play compared with having BMW AG to tea and agreeing to develop a performance variant of the Mini Cooper S. Imagine the repercussions to fame, fortune, and the family name, not to mention Anglo-German diplomacy, if he got it wrong.

But he got it right. The Cooper S Works package does Cooper and Mini’s parent, BMW, proud while answering the calls of Mini enthusiasts for more power and torque than the 163 horsepower and 155 pound-feet provided by the supercharged 1.6-liter SOHC four in the stock Cooper S. The tuning kit, fully covered by the factory warranty, is now available at dealers for installation in new and used Cooper S Minis. Consisting primarily of a new supercharger with Teflon-coated vanes, a new cylinder head, and a replacement exhaust system, the Works package increases power to about 200 horsepower at 6950 rpm and torque to 177 pound-feet at 4000 rpm.

Why all the new metal, you ask? “We tried chip work,” says Cooper, “and the most we ever got with the ECU (electronic control unit) was 1.5 horsepower. And when we changed the exhaust manifold, we got only two horsepower. The only thing we do to the ECU,” he adds, “is adjust the fuel flow.” The new cylinder head, which has different porting, flow, inlet, and exhaust capabilities, provides extra power; dissipates excess heat from the new supercharger, which otherwise would ruin the valves; and lowers fuel consumption, such that the Works model should have the same EPA ratings as the regular Cooper S.

“We stopped at 200 horsepower for durability reasons,” says Cooper, “and because there would be traction problems at the front wheels if you had much more power off the line.” Although first-gear launches are not much improved, Cooper’s efforts to maximize the Mini are evident as the tach needle passes 3000 rpm. Coming on cam at about 4000 rpm, the little engine’s strong, linear, and smooth blower screams merrily all the way to nearly 7000 rpm. Pulling power between 5000 and 6000 rpm in fourth and fifth gears is incredible, and the Mini rockets to triple digits faster than you can say “John Cooper Works.” Even sixth gear, at 3500 to 4000 rpm, is not in a dead zone. When we followed our photographer–no timid driver–on both motorway and secondary roads on a ten-mile run to a photo site, he could not shake our diminutive Mini from the rear-view mirror of his BMW 540i.

The Mini Cooper S Works is fluid, refined, fun, and very fast. Aside from the engine’s dramatically increased oomph, which is expected to cut the 0-to-60-mph time by three-quarters of a second to about 6.3 seconds, the best thing about the car is its overall integrity. The suspension, steering, and brakes, which are strengths of the stock model, are untouched. Discreet badges front and rear distinguish the car from lesser Minis. Although the Works Mini is not a factory effort, it feels and acts like one, with none of the cobbled-together character afflicting so many tuner cars. “I wanted to make sure it was not just built on heritage,” says Cooper.

The Works package will cost about $5000 with installation. The Cooper S starts at $20,000, but its average transaction price is closer to $23,000, which means that a Cooper S Works easily could reach $30,000. At that price, the Mazda RX-8 and the Nissan 350Z surely will make more sense to many buyers, but then again, the Mini Cooper S is its own very different and very delicious cup of tea.

Every component of the John Cooper Works is the result of years of development work and innumerable road tests. The gutsy performance and first-class handling are testament to 150,000 road miles of durability testing and 20,000 miles of high-speed testing undertaken by experienced and exacting engineers. It has been put through its paces in 35-degree heat and a freezing minus 20 degrees.

The Mini’s engine is built in Brazil in a BMW-Chrysler joint venture that was established before the DaimlerChrysler merger; BMW, loath to use an engine that now is tied to its archrival, Mercedes, will replace it in 2006 with a Peugeot unit, for which Cooper already is developing a Works version.

Two guys had too much time on their hands, they fitted a Mini Cooper (old model) with the engine of the fastest production motorbike (yes, … all the one on two wheels) into the cooper.

Result is, the one shifts and steers. The other one handles the throttle by pullin the cord alongside of him. This thing goes!