I've driven street cars that are also race cars: Ferraris, Cadillacs, even the beloved Mazda Miata MX-5. While all were thrilling, I can't say that any were out-and-out terrifying.
And then I buckled myself into a 2015 John Cooper Works MINI. Don't let the adorable looks of MINI's family coupé fool you. This savage little beast, I'm certain, was trying to do me in.
You just don't get to feel this anymore with high-performance cars. The Lamborghini Hurácan, for example, is a Lamborghini and therefore supposed to be threatening. But it isn't. It's as easy to live with as a Honda Accord. That's because carmakers like Lamborghini don't want customers to think they need some kind of special certification for dangerous activity before parting with a down payment.
My frame of mind when the JCW MINI — the third generation of the car — landed in the driveway of BI Tranport's suburban New Jersey satellite HQ was that the car would be fun, which it was. But it was also many, many other things. And some of those things made me think that I should have been wearing a helmet and a fireproof suit.
And yet ... I can't get this car out of my head. Here's why:
It's a very, very, very special MINI.
Out test car tipped the price scales at a superbly equipped $37,000 — that's $7,000 above the MSRP and included goodies such as a rear-view camera, high-performance wheels, heated front seats, and satellite radio.
The color was "Chili Red," and this little sucker was hot as hell, to say the least. It was bolted together in Oxford, England, before being shipped to the Garden State to commence its joyful reign of vehicular terror.
It's a MINI that actually races.
The street-legal JCW MINI coupé is derived from the MINI Challenge Series car that turns hot laps on the track.
This means that the JCW has a race-car personality — fierce, aggressive, unyielding, and precise — and race-cars manners — jittery, stiff, high-strung, and revved up. It's extremely important to know what you're getting in for, because although plenty of "homologated" track cars are perfectly docile in commuter traffic, the JCW is not.
In fact, of the numerous high-performance cars I've sampled of late, the JDW feels the least altered by the transition from race course to roadway.
This is of course cool, but the car also reminds me of a Jack Russell terrier that's gotten into the Red Bull: "Gimme track! Gimme track! Gimme track!" is its yapping demand.
There's a recently unveiled convertible version.
I saw it at the New York auto show this year. Yes, it looks pretty sweet. But if you're seeking a race car that's barely adjusted itself to the highway, you might want to stick with the coupé and its more rigid framework.
The again, sawing the top off probably cools this angry little guy's temper somewhat.
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