Tuesday 21st November 2017

MINI and X-raid unveil JCW Buggy

A rear-drive, 340hp buggy - to the Dakar!

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With four overall victories between 2012 and 2015, MINI has decided to somewhat up the ante for this year by entering not one but two vehicles. As usual, the all-wheel Drive, Countryman-based, MINI JCW Rally will be taking part in the gruelling 5,500 mile event - but this year it'll be joined on the journey by a new, rear-wheel drive, MINI JCW Buggy.

Working with the German X-raid Team on the project, MINI believes that the specifics of the current Dakar rules give two-wheel driven vehicles "certain advantages" - advantages which they will now benefit from. Though with a 3.0-litre turbo diesel putting out 340hp and up to 590lb ft of torque, you don't need to read between the lines to see just how rapid the JCW Buggy is likely to be.

And with a specially designed tubular steel frame and an aerodynamically optimised, carbon fibre reinforced plastic and Kevlar body, it should be as light as it is strong. Having completed a wide-ranging and intensive test programme in countries from Hungary to Morocco, according to Team Manager Sven Quandt the Buggy, "never had to stop once due to a technical problem, which is really quite remarkable." Remarkable indeed. And a fairly good sign of its chances in next year's competition.

The 2018 Dakar will comprise extended desert stages, rock and boulder fields, and tarmac roads taking the cars up to Andean altitudes of as much as 4,000m. It begins on January 6th in the Peruvian capital Lima, with the final stage coming two weeks later on January 20th in Córdoba, Argentina. We look forward to seeing how both of MINI's creations - and everyone else for that matter - get on in the 40th running of the world-famous rally.

[blearyeyedboy]

When I see derivatives like this that don't seem very "Mini", I'm reminded of the early BMW Mini adverts about being beware of fake Minis.

The one with a picture of a red bus with chequered roof and white stripes springs to mind...

This may be impressive for many reasons. But it's about as far removed from a Mini as it's possible to get without shoving a Mini brand nose and badge onto an ocean-going liner.

[sisu]

Love how they have this in the British car section. Xraid is german, Sven Quandt is related to Mr Quandt the CEO of BMW from the 70's, hence the reason for the irrational link for BMW products in an offroad car #Dadsmoney
This car has never set foot in Britain and the Queen is more German than John Cooper. Before you remove comments Pistonheads have a look at it objectively lads

[cookie1600]

How many parts are interchangeable with a road spec MINI - any at all?

Engine - X
Drive train - X
Suspension - X
Monocoque - X
Body panels - X
Electrics/electronics - X

There must be some serious Bavarian beer barrels being scraped to associate this with any kind of current MINI, I don't suppose the public would get it, I'd struggle if it was pictures without logos. It's a silhouette that doesn't even resemble one in outline and about as much actual car base content as a NASCAR or comparable dragster.

Someone clearly needed a sponsor and decided they could get money out of BMW by putting MINI stickers on it.

Edited by cookie1600 on Wednesday 22 November 09:15

[Turbobanana]

cookie1600 said:

How many parts are interchangeable with a road spec MINI - any at all?

Engine - X
Drive train - X
Suspension - X
Monocoque - X
Body panels - X
Electrics/electronics - X

There must be some serious Bavarian beer barrels being scraped to associate this with any kind of current MINI, I don't suppose the public would get it, I'd struggle if it was pictures without logos. It's a silhouette that doesn't even resemble one in outline and about as much actual car base content as a NASCAR or comparable dragster.

Someone clearly needed a sponsor and decided they could get money out of BMW by putting MINI stickers on it.

Edited by cookie1600 on Wednesday 22 November 09:15

BADGE! Yes, badge - that's the same. Must be OK then.

On a serious note, I love the Dakar, but completely agree that any link to anything you and I could buy is so tenuous as to be a joke.

I believe they still run a "Production" category though, which seems much more relevant. Then again, by the time to add aero packages to production car shapes to make WRC or BTCC cars etc, how close are they to actual production cars?

[stuckmojo]

Love it. More prototypes, please.

[soad]

Let's see how it gets on!

[Krikkit]

For those moaning it's not road car enough, it looks like it might have the road car's windscreen:




As if competition cars in most categories bear any real resemblance these days.

[spikyone]

Krikkit said:

As if competition cars in most categories bear any real resemblance these days.

Exactly. Why does anyone give a monkeys? I'd prefer racing cars to be far removed from road cars, because most modern cars are so dull that the racing versions are considerably more interesting.

Having said that, the arrangement of the front lights makes me think they've missed a trick - they should release a roadgoing Clubman GT version of the new Mini to please the naysayers. Granted, the similarities are a bit like Danny DeVito and Arnie in Twins, but I can still see a resemblance up front:

[cookie1600]

Loving the original 1275GT, but then I would.

So what we have here is about as relevant to a 1979 Allegro, as this was:

[spikyone]

cookie1600 said:

Loving the original 1275GT, but then I would.

So what we have here is about as relevant to a 1979 Allegro, as this was:

BL were only a sponsor though. I think it's fairer to consider this in the same way that you'd consider a Ferrari or Mercedes F1 car, or a Porsche or Toyota LMP. They all have their own model designations, some of which reference other models in the brand's range. For example, Porsche's 919 and various classic Ferrari F1 cars have followed the manufacturer's naming convention.

"Mini" is a brand nowadays, rather than a model in its own right. So you have the Countryman, Clubman, JCW, and the JCW Buggy. It's not supposed to look like a Mini hatchback, or any other car from the range. It's a distinct model, that's designed for the regulations of the series it competes in.

[DiscoColin]

The Dakar 4x4 Mini isn't even based on the Countryman though - it is based on the prototype BMW X3 clad creation that X-Raid put out before the corporate decision to transition the Dakar effort to the Mini brand.

For all of those taking exception to the buggy being Mini branded though - it still isn't any more absurd as Peugeot branding its Dakar buggy as a flavour of the Pug 2008 5 door soft roader.

This ...



...really isn't one of these :



I seem to recall that they may share a windscreen....?

[numtumfutunch]

cookie1600 said:

Loving the original 1275GT, but then I would.

So what we have here is about as relevant to a 1979 Allegro, as this was:

They both need a trip to the garage after a 2h drive on a Sunday afternoon?

[Hitch]

This is very cool. Many of the comments above are perplexing for a car site; It's been decades since motorsport variants had anything to do with road cars.