Hampton Roads Club Mini

Here's the official release:

MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP kit makes North American debut at New York International Auto Show
Limited - production 2-seat model offers even more performance.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ April 12, 2006...MINI USA announces the North American Debut of the 2006 MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP at the New York International Auto Show.
This limited-production, sport tuned model comes exclusively in a two-seat configuration and offers a level of performance that makes it the most powerful MINI available from the factory. The 'GP' produces 214 horsepower and is approximately 100 pounds lighter than the standard MINI Cooper S model, allowing it to achieve a top speed of 150 MPH.
The two letters "GP" in the name of this unique model stand for "Grand Prix", paying tribute to the MINI's motor sport pedigree - a pedigree not only demonstrated by the Classic Mini's Monte Carlo rally wins in the 60s, but by MINI's competitive successes today, including road racing, auto cross, rally sport and even drag racing.
The MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit will be limited to a production run of exactly 2,000 units worldwide. The US market will receive an exclusively limited number of only 415 of these cars which go on sale this fall with a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price of $31,150 including a $550 destination charge.
Under the bonnet, the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit features additional modifications to the intercooler, the supercharger and the electronic engine management system. With these modifications this model now boasts a 46 horsepower increase in engine power over that of a standard Cooper S model, producing 214 horsepower and 184 foot-pounds of torque at 4600 RPM. The low restriction twin-pipe sport exhaust, adds an impressively throaty sound, underscoring the enhanced sport-tuning of the engine.
The performance-enhanced power plant in the new MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit offers even more on-road performance with acceleration times of 6.5 seconds from 0 to 62 MPH. To transfer this extra power to the road, the car comes with standard limited-slip differential, enhancing traction under acceleration. This feature not only helps to optimize traction on slippery roads, but also during spirited driving. DSC Dynamic Stability Control adds a further level of active safety on the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit.
An essential feature of the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit is its sport suspension and sport brakes with components carefully matched to the greater power of the engine. Even firmer springs and stronger dampers enhance the outstanding agility of the car while larger sport brakes with special composition pads add greater stopping power.
The new MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit stands out with an exclusive aerodynamics package with deeper, more contoured front and rear air dams and side sills. The roof spoiler with its racing wing profile is a prominent feature at the rear of the roof line.
The MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit also features an exclusive metallic paint scheme in Thunder Blue with the roof finished in Pure Silver. Adding exclusivity to this limited-production model, each MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit is sequentially numbered with a distinctive roof graphic just over the side door. The surrounds on the air scoops along the engine compartment lid and in the front air dam are also finished in Pure Silver. The exterior mirrors come in an attractive contrasting Chili Red. And white side direction indicators come standard.
The purist interior of the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP kit exudes more than just a "touch" of motor sport. The rear seat bench was removed to help reduce the weight of the car, and is now a flat loading area. For even greater convenience, the floor can be folded up in a Z-arrangement for easy access to two additional storage boxes. An aluminum finished cargo brace bar behind the front seats helps to keep cargo secure.
The sport interior is fitted with driver and passenger sports seats that come in an exclusive GP cloth/leather upholstery combination and a special three-spoke leather sports steering wheel. The dashboard again underlines the sporting character of the car with a center mounted speedometer and the tachometer mounted on the steering column. Both displays come in Anthracite, with red needles ensuring excellent clarity and readability.
Addition weight saving measures included replacing the conventional rear control arms with ones made from aluminum. This along with modifications the body and omission of some of the sound-deadening material come together to help reduce the overall weight of the car by approximately 100 pounds compared to a MINI comparably equipped Cooper S.
MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicle in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the US through networks of 339 BMW passenger car centers, 334 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI passenger car dealers and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.

and HRMINI will have a rep there too   Fuzzy and I are in the exclusive club. One of only eight so far.

Bob of Checkered Flag is the only dealer who got the paperwork correct the first time. We are the first accepted to the program.

I saw the one they brought to MINI United 2005. Got some good video and pictures of it. It is pretty cool!

Venti Due, I normally refer to people by their initials, but you made sure I couldn't do that with you.   :mrgreen:

Could you please post some of your GP pictures?

Here is the best I have. I have some more, but they are not as good as I remember.

I have a few more, but most were taken of the screen behind the stage while the camera man was running around the GP.





...some different angles for you.

That's my thought too. Fuzzy and I are thinking of red viper stripes along the whole car.

The stripes are a good idea. Should balance out everything.