Berlin, Berlin. . . : In the MINI John Cooper Works GP through the German capital.

A visit to the metropolis on the Spree always has a very special charm. Sightseeing doesn't necessarily need the unbridled power of the MINI John Cooper Works GP. But with its compact dimensions, its agile driving behavior and its unmistakable appearance, the fastest MINI ever produced is ideally suited for city traffic between Glienicke Bridge and Brandenburg Gate.

MINI John Cooper Works GP

The atmosphere crackles - something is in the Berlin air. Passers-by are amazed at the Glienicke Bridge. Agent exchange? No, there was something like this here, strictly speaking, only three times between 1962 and 1986. Now it's the MINI John Cooper Works GP (combined fuel consumption: 7,3 l / 100 km; CO₂-Emissions combined: 167 g / km according to WLTP), which attracts attention. Even the fastest MINI ever built is rarely seen. The 225 kW / 306 hp model was built in a small series of just 3 copies.

The MINI John Cooper Works GP is actually too spirited for city traffic. But its agile driving characteristics and compact dimensions are extremely helpful in the turmoil of the metropolis with almost four million inhabitants. And the imposing charisma, provided by carbon wheel arch trims, a roof spoiler with a double-wing contour, 18-inch lightweight forged wheels and a model-specific chassis with lowering, fits into the image of a city where big appearances are the order of the day.

The most modern top athlete in the model range of the traditional British brand is approaching the capital from a south-westerly direction, where history and modernity merge in a unique way. And that already begins on the Glienicke Bridge, which was a simple wooden bridge 350 years ago, but soon became part of one of the most important connecting routes between the royal cities of Berlin and Potsdam due to the growing volume of traffic. Today the route leads over the Königsstraße to the city motorway 115 through the Grunewald. The “Automobile Traffic and Practice Road” was opened there 100 years ago. In its original layout of around 19 kilometers, AVUS connected today's exhibition grounds near the Charlottenburg district and the Nikolassee near Zehlendorf with two straight lines and a north and a south curve.

The racetrack operation was discontinued in 1998, the striking administration building on Messedamm and the 200-meter-long grandstand are now under monument protection. Now the MINI John Cooper Works GP brings back a little racing feeling. Its four-cylinder turbo engine accelerates it from standstill to 5,2 km / h in 100 seconds. The precisely adjustable sports brake system with four-piston fixed-calliper disc brakes on the front wheels also guarantees dynamic deceleration maneuvers. The aerodynamically optimized design features ensure reduced lift in fast corners, and a top speed of 265 km / h is possible on long straights. In theory, at least, because today the AVUS Tempo 100 applies.

On the Teufelsberg, very close to the former north curve, visitors have a great view over the Grunewald and Berlin - no wonder, since the Teufelsberg is the second highest elevation in the city at 120,1 meters. Contemporary spray art can also be admired there. Hundreds of small and large murals have been created on the walls of a former radar station over the past decades.

After a short stop at the Olympic Stadium, the MINI John Cooper Works GP heads for the Mitte district. The 2-meter-high Victory Column will soon come into view on Bundesstraße 67. The MINI turns once (or two or three times?) Around the “Big Star”, as the five-lane roundabout is sometimes called, and then rolls over the Straße des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Turn right once, and after a few hundred meters the eye-catching two-seater becomes an eye-catcher on Potsdamer Platz. The first traffic light in Europe was there in 1924. At the time, this intersection was one of the busiest places in the ancient world. The contrast was all the greater when, after the Second World War, Potsdamer Platz became a no man's land as a buffer zone between the American and Soviet occupation zones. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the historic square quickly turned into a pulsating hotspot again.

From the modern Potsdamer Platz, the path leads to the Kreuzberg district and there to a historic shopping area. Market hall 9 on Eisenbahnstrasse was opened 130 years ago. There were 300 stands, each with a size of four square meters, to supply the population with fresh goods. It is one of 14 Berlin market halls that were built in the second half of the 19th century. Today “shopping differently” and “eating differently” is the order of the day. Dealers and customers value seasonal products and regional sources of supply.

From Kreuzberg, a short jump over the Spree or a brisk ride over the worth seeing Oberbaumbrücke is enough to reach one of the most popular tourist magnets in Berlin, the East Side Gallery. It was opened in September 1990 and comprises the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, 118 artists from 21 countries designed the longest open-air gallery in the world along 1,3 kilometers of the former border.

If you follow the course of the Spree, you will get to Alexanderplatz and from there via the splendid Unter den Linden boulevard, past the television tower, the Berlin Cathedral, the Gendarmenmarkt and the Humboldt Forum in the rebuilt city palace directly into the government district. Past and present are very close to one another here between the Reichstag building, the main train station, the Chancellery and Bellevue Palace, the seat of the Federal President.

On the way through Charlottenburg and to the International Congress Center (ICC), the driver of the MINI John Cooper Works GP has to make a decision. Either it goes again over the AVUS into the Grunewald and over the Glienicker Bridge to Potsdam or north into the green surrounding area of ​​Berlin. The choice falls on the excursion to the Mecklenburg lake landscape. Because in the middle of the Schorfheide, the MINI John Cooper Works GP can show what it's made of. The largest driving safety center in Europe has existed in Groß Dölln since 2002. The area not only includes a unique handling course, but also a 4,25 kilometer long race track.

On this terrain, you can experience how much the developers of the MINI John Cooper Works GP have used their racing know-how to create extreme driving fun. A particularly tight engine mount, the rigid body structure, the differential lock integrated into the 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission and the model-specific high-performance tires enable fascinatingly spontaneous power delivery when accelerating from a standstill and when accelerating out of bends. The no less impressive lateral acceleration results, among other things, from a wide track and model-specific increased camber values ​​for the front and rear wheels. In GP mode, the intervention thresholds of the driving stability system DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) are increased. This gives the driver a little more leeway when approaching the limit area. The GP mode can be activated very easily with a toggle switch. And already there is a certain crackling in the air.

Don't worry, of course that was far from being the case when it came to auto / auto tuning. Our magazine still has tens of thousands other tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Then just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in everything to do with the manufacturer Mini? Then the following excerpt with other vehicles is definitely the right one.

In the MINI John Cooper Works GP through the German capital.
Photo credit: BMW

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