Here's an answer to all the Mini Cooper fans who love the car but want more power: Mike Cooper, son of John Cooper, the original Mini tuning genius, has created a "Works" kit for the Cooper S that increases horsepower from 163 to 197 and torque from 155 lb-ft to 177 lb-ft. The kit, which hasn't yet been priced for the U.S. but likely will fall between $2000 and $3000, includes a reconfigured cylinder head, a bigger pulley and ceramic-powder-coated rotors for the supercharger, a new ECU, and a tuned exhaust; some of the bodywork you see here will be available from the Mini accessories catalog. The conversion will be done at Mini dealers starting in April, will fall under the original warranty, and is available for used Cooper S models as well as new.
BOTTOM LINE: Maxi horsepower for the Mini.