New to the forum. Done quite a bit of poking around as I'm considering purchasing a mid-2000s Mini as a track car. I currently have a Golf R (hi to any fellow Vortexers) that I do HPDEs with, and while I love it on the track, it is my DD so it's a little worrying tracking it.

I'm 6'5", so a Miata won't work, so figured a Mini might be a good choice. While scouring the web for about what it would cost to get a Mini (was shooting for low-to-mid teens) I came across this GP, so it got me thinking - is fate stepping in? Is the better option to start with an S, a JCW, or a GP?

Appreciate any feedback from owners that track theirs. TIA!

http://m.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicleDetails.xhtml?listingId=333882177

 

S, JCW, or GP?

Will you want to run it stock, or do you plan to modify the heck out of it?


I'm not tracking mine now, but did some SoloII events many years ago (before my MINI days). To me the '06 GP is one of my all time favorite cars, I would love it for a DD, and I bet it would be fun on the track too. If I were to "build " a track car, I'd start with a regular S.

 

I would swap pads and brake fluid, probably do the SS brake lines as well. Either get a dedicated set of track wheels/tires or put some good quality ones on the OEM wheels. That's sort of what I'm questioning - get a GP and just do that, or get an S and put $5-6k into it.

 

Gp if you want to run stock class...more $$, but "premodded" and class legal.
S if you don't mind running modified or want to rip the interior out....
But resale price when buying used is a HUGE difference..... Price out A GP....see if it is even feasable to use one as a track car....unless you have $$$$ to spend...they are more of a trophy unless you get a fake....

 

this only because the GP isnt much greater than the S, has a number of slightly better stuff, along with the higher price tag due to the rarity. engine wise they are basically the same gen 1.

it is very easy to make an S a GP with mods

 

As others have pointed out, it is really looking at your goal.

If you are looking to create a pure track car in which you are going to end up changing most of the parts, then find the cheapest non-sunroof S. Also, with a standard S, you are not as worried about damaging a special model. The theory here is why pay a premium for parts you are going to swap anyway.

More performance type models (JCW and GP) are better choices if you want to keep it mostly stock and just have some fun or if running a class that requires the car to stay mostly stock.

 

+1

Get a solid no-sunroof S, rip out whatever you don't need mechanically or to save weight and slap on the performance and safety parts you need.

Also make sure that you can afford (financially and emotionally) to lose the vehicle to an accident on the track. Wrecking a track-ready S rather than a limited production GP might be easier to take

 

As mentioned, it depends on what you're planning to do with the car. Are you going to run it stock or mod it? If you're modding it, how far are you going to go.

Stock the GPII is probably the best, its got the trick suspension and bigger brakes. I just realized you were probably talking about the first GP, not the latest one (GPII). I don't know much about the old GP.

A later JCW also works well stock, I'd look for one which had the brake ducts. I'm not sure when they were standard. Also no sunroof and at least sport suspension. That describes our current JCW which we use for the track (and daily drive). With different pads it can stand up to heavy use.

We previously had an 08S, we eventually got to the point where we were killing the pads, we got the JCW before experimenting with different pads. The 08 had a factory limit slip diff, I think that was no longer an option after 09. I've had very great difficulty making the JCW go as fast as I did in the 08. The JCW just has the electronic fake LSD (it brakes the spinning wheel).

You could do pretty well with a GPII, JCW with brake ducts, or an 09 or before with factory LSD.

Edit: I just realized this is in the GENI forum, I'm talking about R56 MINIs, sorry. The 05-06 S can also get a factory LSD. They'd be worth looking at. But overall the R56 is faster.