MINI Cooper S to be unveiled at Tokyo Motor Show

17 October 2001: MINI Cooper S will be unveiled at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show on 24 October, hot on the heels of the successful UK launch of MINI One and MINI Cooper. The flagship model is due to set pulses racing next summer when it goes on sale.

The "heart" of the MINI Cooper S is the same compact, transverse, 4-cylinder engine from MINI One and MINI Cooper, but uses supercharger and intercooler technology to extract 163 bhp at 6,000 rpm. MINI Cooper S will be the most powerful car in its class breaking the 100 bhp per litre mark from its 1.6 litre engine.

Complementing the uprated engine is a new six-speed version of MINI’s highly-praised short-shifting manual gearbox allied to a carefully tuned sports suspension set up.

MINI Cooper S will be instantly recognisable as the top-of-the-range version, with an air intake scoop on the re-designed bonnet, re-designed chunky bumpers, centrally mounted twin tailpipes and black side-sills.

Behind the scenes are active and passive safety features, including up to six airbags, and run-flat tyres as standard.

MINI Cooper S will appear on the market 39 years after the original ‘S’ was introduced as the flagship of the Mini range.

The original dominated the Monte Carlo rally in the mid-sixties, winning in ’64, ’65 and ’67 and, controversially in ’66 when it was subsequently disqualified. Touring car and saloon car victories were also being racked up at this time. The ‘S’ was also immortalised in celluloid with the release of The Italian Job in 1969. TW