BMW has set the asking price at £20,900 and there are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, it’s considerably pricier than a Cooper S and £21K is a lot for a MINI, before you’ve even thought about adding your go-faster stripes.

On the other, it’s still well priced compared to some of the competition and possesses an exclusivity and sporting appeal which the Cooper S lacks.

Throw in the low running costs, the outstanding TLC servicing package, and high predicted residual values and it looks like the MINI JCW is going to prove another winner.

And they’ve still kept the door open for a real hardcore version at a later date, should the demand be there.

By Peter Carroll