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Who’s this John Cooper then?

Alec Issigonis was the designer responsible for the original mini. But would it have been quite the success it was without the influence of another engineer named John Cooper? He was a successful builder of racing cars in the 1950s and the man to realize that smaller, lighter, mid-engined cars were more than a match for the big front-engined competition in Formula 1 and at Indianapolis. When BMC wanted to polish its then-new Mini with a racing halo, it was to Cooper that it reached out.

Success followed, notably on the Monte Carlo and other rallies, but also on road courses in touring car races. Here again we saw being light and nimble was often more than a match for brute strength, as Minis diced with huge Ford Galaxies in the early 1960s. (Speaking of, if that sounds like something you want to see more of, the Goodwood Revival will be live-streaming this weekend.) Back then, success in racing meant success in the showrooms, and Cooper-tuned Minis—Mini Coopers—soon became the one you wanted to drive.

You say they’ve done this before?

Although BMW licensed the Cooper name for the 21st century Mini, Cooper's operation was still happy to cater to the enthusiast. There was a tuning kit for the car that liberated some more power from the engine. Then a more extreme approach, the John Cooper Works GP. This model threw out the back seats and parcel shelf, replacing them with a brace for added stiffness. Just 2,000 were made, and they quickly sold out.

Two years later, John Cooper Works was bought by BMW. It then built a second John Cooper Works GP, in 2013, which also ditched the rear seats for a chassis brace. And like the first GP Mini, all 2,000 of these sold out, too.

Third verse, better than the first?

For the third time around, things are looking a little more extreme. Obviously some of that is because this is a concept car, unencumbered by things like safety regulations, which might frown at that caged interior or the blade-like side mirrors. The air intakes behind the doors give the car an almost mid-engined look, a visual shout-out to certain Group B specials. I'm a bit confused by the roof scoop, though.

Since there isn't a production version confirmed yet, things like actual specs or prices haven't been determined. We reckon the interior will get toned down a little, but we expect the lack of back seats to make it through unscathed. Now, I wonder when they'll open the order books...