Mini John Cooper Works GP (2012) first official pictures

Mini has unveiled the new top-dog Mini John Cooper Works GP - a limited edition, very fast, very expensive Mini hot hatch.

Just 2000 Mini GP editions will be built, with first sales due for late 2012.

Yes, it's a signal that current generation Mini is approaching its wind-down period ahead of the all-new, third-generation Mini models due to land from 2014.

Should you care about such things as Nurburgring laptimes, the new JCW GP is 19sec faster around the Nordschleife than its predecessor. That's 8min 23sec, take note anoraks.

At the time of writing, the exact technical details are still shrouded in mystery. We'll update the full mechanical package as soon as it's announced by Mini. CAR understands the GP has around 220bhp from its turbocharged 1.6 petrol engine; a limited slip diff is likely to be standard, like on the last model, to tame any unruly wheelspin.

We do know they've whisked out the rear seats to save weight, added race-spec brakes, fat rubber and an Airbus-spec rear wing.

This isn't the first maxed-out Mini: back in 2006, the John Cooper Works GP Kit was announced, with a high-pressure turbo hike to hit a punchy 136bhp per litre specific output.

The new 2012 Mini John Cooper Works GP is being unveiled this weekend at the Mini United Festival at Le Castellet in France.

By Tim Pollard