Detroit auto show: Mini gives Cooper S the works

Production versions of the all-new Mini have not yet even reached customers but BMW is pushing the sporting button for the new car hard with the Detroit reveal of this, the John Cooper Works Concept. And I think we can pretty safely rub out the word 'Concept' there and insert the word "Option Pack' because pretty much everything here from the 'Bright Highways' grey paint to the carbon-tipped exhaust pipes will almost certainly be sitting next to a tick box on a Mini pricelist near you soon.

It's expected that the 2.0-litre turbo engine of the new Cooper S Works will exceed the power output of the current hottest Mini, the John Cooper Works GP2, which has 215hp. Expect at least 240hp to take on expected competition from such potential rivals as a Ford Fiesta RS (rumoured to be in the pipeline) and a hotter R version of Peugeot's 208 GTI (ditto). The Works aero kit on this concept includes a taller bonnet bulge, side skirts, rear flaps and a diffuser as well as a roof spoiler and special contour panels to direct airflow around the rear lights and window.

Other than the fact that those are 18” wheels, Mini is being tight-lipped on details until the car is officially unveiled in Detroit this week.