Description
This is my stunning Mini Cooper S JCW 210 which I did not expect to be selling so soon. I have owned it since July this year and bought it with the intention of keeping it for some time as an investment and weekend toy but I have acquired another near identical Mini JCW after putting a spontaneous cheeky bid on it in an auction and I cannot keep both unfortunately.
Registered on 3/ 12/ 2004, the original invoice which is present shows it was ordered from factory with the following optional extras:
Chilli Pack,
Chromeline Exterior,
Electric Folding Mirrors,
Head Airbags front and rear,
Anthracite Roof Lining,
Cockpit Chrono Pack,
Visibility pack including Xenon Headlights,
Radio Boost,
6 Disc CD Changer in the boot,
Automatic Air-Conditioning,
Heated Front Seats,
Pure Silver Paint,
Gravity Leather in Black,
Heated Mirrors and Washer Jets,
Multi-function Steering Wheel,
Mini TLC Pack.
The on the road price of the car was £19370. 01 including nearly £2000 of factory options. In addition to that the car received the following JCW upgrades prior to delivery:
JCW Tuning Kit,
Mini Aero Bodykit,
JCW R95 18 inch wheels,
Mini Mobility System,
Additional White Lights (The two spotlights you often see on Mini’s),
Additional Driving Lamps X2 (Making the 4 Spotlights on this car which is very rare to come out of the dealership with),
Body Coloured exterior trims.
These extras added an additional £6638. 11 to the cost making the total in 2004 £26008. 12 which taking into account inflation would have made it a near £50000 Mini in today’s money.
A previous owner provided a trail of maintenance up until 2020 and various receipts during their ownership which ended in late 2024. The previous owner, who I purchased the car from decided to have a comprehensive overhaul of all the common issues and maintenance carried out at Mini Mafia as well as a couple of quality modifications well regarded by Mini R53 Enthusiasts.
The Modifications were a 15% reduced Kavs Supercharger Pulley with the correct Spark Plugs giving a small increase in power to around 220 HP and also had an upgraded Airtek Intercooler fitted to counter the additional heat produced by the higher supercharger speeds. They also had Polybushes installed and a Mini Limited Slip Differential installed. It also has a Genuine JCW Struct Brace as well.
In addition to the modifications the car had a new clutch, ignition coils, plug lead set, coolant pump, new shock absorber, timing chain tensioner, supercharger service, crank seal and upgraded top mounts. It also received a full service plus coolant flush, power steering fluid refresh and gearbox oil at a cost of £3000.
In March 2026 the owner purchased a 5th R95 Alloy wheel as a spare and had the other 4 wheels refurbished at Mini in Lincoln. Whilst the car was there it has a small parking dent removed and both bumpers, bonnet and centre caps painted at a cost of £1800. It also had a full set of Toyo Proxis fitted prior to my collection.
I purchased the car in July 2026 and the car is in excellent condition considering its age. I have already undertaken a service which was again due including oil and all filters, fitted a new crank pulley, a metal dipstick as the plastic originals have a habit of breaking in the engine, a new O2 sensor, a hydraulic engine mount, a brake fluid change and the car is has had the full underside protected including body, suspension components and subframes coated to ensure the longevity of these rust prone areas on the Mini R53.
The car has been extremely well cared for and not driven in the wet for a number of years and had a huge amount of preventative maintenance carried out making it a prime example despite its slightly high mileage.
Whilst carrying out the service there was a small amount of debris from the old dipstick in the filter so for peace of mind and to ensure completeness I had the sump and oil pickup inspected which were clear and the bottom end looked extremely clean and fresh with Dave at Skinny's Auto's commenting that you could still see all of the original markings on the engines internals. For complete peace of mind I sent off a sample of the oil to Motul for analysis and the report came back with no concerns at all and no need to monitor anything so with fresh oil and filter once again it is healthy and ready to be enjoyed.
As with any 22 year old car and even one as good as this it isn't perfect and as I always like to be completely transparent with my listings I can confirm there are minor scuffs on each wing mirror, some stone chips on the aero kit wheel arch trims, a chip in the windscreen which wasn't even an advisory on the MOT, a small rust patch under the rear number plate which I am having treated and sealed and a small amount of light bubbling where the windscreen seal meets the roof. I will also be retrimming the headliner which has started to sag a little.
This Mini is one of the R53 Mini's which were the first iteration of the 'New' Mini Cooper S after BMW bought the Rover Brand in 1994. Launched in 2002 a couple of years after the R50 Mini One and Cooper cars, it brought sporty handling and the now iconic Supercharged 1. 6 litre engine. In mid 2004 the facelift was introduced and this is one of those cars, with new headlights, dash design and various other visual differences.
BMW didn't acquire the John Cooper Works brand until 2006/ 2007 so John Cooper Garages produced a tuning Kit for the Cooper S which consisted of a revised cylinder head, JCW exhaust system, a new supercharger with a smaller pulley and a remapped ecu pushing power to 200 HP. In 2004, some further changes to the kits brought new uprated injectors and a high flow airbox and different ECU tune to push power to 210 HP. Initially, the kits were fitted at John Cooper Garages but were soon made available for fitting at Mini dealerships. In the final year or so of production of the R53, the kits could be specified straight from the factory and these are the only JCW models of the R53 to actually show JCW on their logbooks.
Just over 1200 UK cars had the JCW 210 kit fitted and under 400 were factory specified so this car is one of around 800 cars, many of which have since been crashed or scrapped. While there are a lot of ‘fake’ JCW’s out there this car has two copies of the JCW kit certificates that were issued with genuine kits, the numbered plaque on the engine with number S6560, a correct JCW serial number on the cylinder head, the ECU sticker showing it to be a JCW ECU, the correct Blue uprated injectors and the JCW stickered airbox only found on the 210’s. Accompanying that, I have the original Sales invoice for both the car and the supplementary invoice for the JCW upgrades that were made pre delivery.
With its huge specification and JCW upgrades made from the very beginning of its life with just some tasteful modifications to further enhance the drive this Mini is one of a kind. It draws so much positive attention on the road, far more so than any supercar I have driven and opens up the gates into a fantastic community of Mini owners both new and old. With so many of the must do jobs done which is what drew me to this car originally and a stack of paperwork which has further been added to under my ownership it should provide reassurance that it will continue to be a fun ownership proposition for many years to come.
