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Mini John Cooper Works review: The collected works of John Cooper

The Mini JCW is now easier to live with, and still a barrel of laughs. But is it expensive for what it is?

Published Fri, Oct 15, 2021 · 09:50 PM

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    Singapore

    "WHO was John Cooper? I'm glad you asked," I said to the wife as I ushered her into the Rebel Green hatchback that bore his name. "I didn't ask," she groaned. I continued anyway. "John Cooper was a racing driver and car constructor who turned Minis into giant-slayers that won rallies," I said.

    Feeling a touch of pity, I had kept my explanation short, but the truth is that John Cooper was a grand poobah of racing. He might be best known for zippy, exuberant Mini Coopers, but if you ask me, his real claim to fame are the Cooper-Climax racing cars that wiped the floor with the likes of Ferrari in the 1959 Formula One season. I guess you could say the Cooper-Climax made a splash.

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