Image Credit: BMW Group.
Mini celebrating a 61st anniversary is a new level of "we've run out of ideas." Usually, you wait for the big 60 or the 75, but no. Mini has decided that the number 61 is the magic ticket to your wallet. Meet the "1965 Victory Edition," a car designed to honor a rally win from six decades ago that most of us weren't even alive to see. It's charming, it's red, and it costs more than any Mini ever should.
The whole point of this exercise is to tip a hat to Timo Mäkinen's legendary win at the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally. Naturally, the car is painted "Chili Red," because apparently, you can't have a fast Mini in any other color without the ghost of John Cooper haunting your garage. It's got a massive white stripe running down the middle, making it look like a very expensive sneaker. There's also a giant "52" on the side, just in case you forget what your racing number would have been if you were a professional driver in the sixties.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
Inside, the nostalgia continues until you're practically drowning in it. You get special door sills that remind you exactly what you bought every time you climb in. There is a "1965" badge on the steering wheel, and even a "hidden" sticker on the door frame. I suppose if you're spending $50,000 on a hatchback, you need a few Easter eggs to justify the monthly payments to your spouse. There's even a special storage box in the center console, likely for storing the tears you'll shed when you see the insurance premium.
Let's look at the oily bits - and the sparky bits. Globally, you can get a standard Cooper S version with a 2.0-liter turbo engine. It pushes out 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. It'll do 0 to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds, which is respectable but won't exactly peel your eyelids back. However, if you live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, Mini thinks you're too "extra" for the base model. Americans only get the high-performance John Cooper Works (JCW) variant.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
The gas-powered JCW is a bit of a firecracker. It cranks the 2.0-liter engine up to 228 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. This drops the 0 to 62 mph sprint to 6.1 seconds. It's fast, loud, and about as comfortable as sitting on a bag of spanners and driving over a cobblestone street. But, being the forward-thinking electric enthusiast that I am, I have to point you toward the real star of the show: the John Cooper Works Electric.
The electric version is the undisputed king of this particular hill. It comes with a beefy motor producing 255 horsepower. Because electric motors give you all the "oomph" instantly, it'll get to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds. That's fast enough to make your groceries relocate to the back window. It comes with a 49.2 kWh battery, which provides a range of roughly 225 to 250 miles. Granted, that's based on the optimistic European testing, so in the real world, expect to be looking for a plug a bit sooner if you drive it like you stole it.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
What's the damage for this trip down memory lane? The JCW variant coming to the States will set you back $46,220. Once you add the mandatory $1,175 destination fee, you're looking at $47,395. For a Mini. I love the brand, I really do, but forty-seven grand and change for a car that struggles to fit a full-sized Golden Retriever in the back is a bold move. It's a lot of money for some stickers and a fancy roof.
Is it worth it? If you have a profound, borderline obsessive love for 1960s rally history and a bank account that needs emptying, then absolutely. It'll be a hoot to drive for sure, and the electric version is genuinely quick. It's a tiny, red, electrified middle finger to boredom. But don't expect me to keep a straight face when you tell me you bought it because of the 61st anniversary. That's just marketing madness, plain and simple.
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