Mini Inspired by Goodwood | Spotted
The £40k Cooper S that Rolls-Royce helped build is 10 years old; nowadays it's cheaper, but no less curious
If it seems like only yesterday that the Mini Goodwood was brought up in a Spotted story, then well done for paying attention. It was mentioned in passing in discussion of the Clio 172 Exclusive yesterday. We weren't planning on dwelling on the subject of luxury hot hatches, but then Rolls-Royce announced its best sales results in its 117-year history - 2021 being up 49 per cent on 2020, to 5,586 cars - thereby making the Mini a (just about) relevant discussion point.
Of course, for anyone intrigued by the idea of a niche within a niche, the Mini Inspired by Goodwood (to give the car its full name) was always worth talking about. Seemingly undeterred by the Aston Martin Cygnet's (in)ability to meld convenience and opulence in sufficient proportions, the green light was given to merge the best bits of Mini with the best of Rolls-Royce. In a Cooper S.
The Goodwood was treated to all sorts of Rolls-Royce cosmetic goodies, from the Diamond Black paint to a cashmere roof lining, Cornsilk Leather seats to Burr Walnut veneers. Needless to say, the Inspired by Goodwood became infamous for its price as much as anything else: when deliveries began in March 2012, the Mini cost £41,000. Only a thousand were to be offered globally and the leather was really nice, but understandably the Goodwoods didn't exactly fly out of the door.
In the UK, they are very rare - rarer than a few dedicated Rolls Royce models, in fact - with just over a hundred finding customers. As a manual, this one is especially notable, as they only accounted for a quarter of sales; according to howmanyleft, just 23 are on British roads. Despite that, the previous two owners of this Mini haven't been put off using it, racking up more than 70,000 miles in a decade - a recent service will be handy for whoever's sat in the Cornsilk chairs next.
What was the most expensive model in the range remains so as a used car, even if at £15k it's for sale at an incredible (for a Mini) £25,000 less than its new price. Predictably enough, newer Cooper S Minis with lower mileages are available for similar money, and non-Goodwood versions of this era are obviously cheaper. But not so much cheaper than they would have been new, it should be pointed out; the Goodwood has lost much more of its value than the standard cars.
So maybe, just maybe, now is the time to actually be Inspired by Goodwood. Unless there's a lot more weight added by the walnut, lambswool and cashmere, it's still going to be a great little hot hatch to drive, subsequent Minis have shown what a smart looking car this generation was, and rarity is somewhat more appealing when the price tag attached starts with a '14' not a '40'. Naturally, the PH purist will go for a Cooper S at thousands less, perhaps even a JCW - but without that astonishing new RRP it's somewhat easier to make the Goodwood's case. Not least because, even after a record year for Rolls-Royce, it's hard to imagine quite such a curious concoction ever being conjured up again. Promise that's the last of the oddball hot hatches for this week - the Rover 200 BRM can wait...
SPECIFICATION | MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD
Engine: 1,598cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 184@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 177@1,600-5,000rpm
MPG: 48.7 (NEDC)
CO2: 136g/km (NEDC)
First registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 72,000
Price new: £41,000
Yours for: £14,995
Proper luxury super mini sounds pretty good to me. I had a mate who had one of these and he loved it.
Point is, the showroom had a blue one of these in the Approved section and - up close - it was pretty special actually. The carpet mats were something else and the paint quality was decent too compared to the regular MINI.
Couldn’t afford it - but had a soft spot for them since.
Not sure how much they’re really worth either - this seems to be around the average price they tend to come up at but as others have said, it’s a big premium over a standard Cooper S.
There are a few dark blue ones around as well - they seem to be super rare!
It’s quite a cool wee thing…easier to deal with at £15k than the original asking price.
I adore the Fiat....a few for sale on AT for around £11K
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