Mini gets a new flagship

It certainly looks the part with its aerodynamic kit, 17-inch lightweight alloy wheels, black honeycomb grille and chrome touches.

You can specify a Clubman as a JCW too but they will not be delivered until the beginning of 2009 once bespoke versions of its aerodynamic kit have arrived.

On paper, performance doesn’t seem to have advanced too far above that of the Cooper S - itself a none too shabby mover.

The JCW gains 36hp over the 175hp Cooper S and is just over half a second quicker to 60mph at 6.5 seconds.

But lots of work has been carried out under the bonnet to strengthen the engine and make it better able to withstand the forces and temperatures generated by a performance car.