MINI Challenge 210 Reviewed Against Its Race Track Alternative

Being a limited edition and going over its name, you can probably guess that only 210 of them will ever be made. On top of that, the power output also matches the numbers written on the doors, the Cooper S’ output being taken from 192 HP to 210 HP and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque.

What else sets this car apart from a regular Cooper S?

Well, you’ve got carbon fiber bonnet air intakes, black sport stripes front and rear, unique 210 Challenge stripes on the sides, black additional LED headlights with black trims, carbon fiber mirror covers, 18” Cup wheels, sport rear bumper and black trims for the taillights.

On top of that, John Cooper Works parts made it on the end project as well. The exhaust comes from the JCW division and has two different modes driving modes: Standard and Track. However, the latter cannot be used on public roads legally.

Sounds good? Well, you should see the race car it is based on... That’s what the guys from Auto Express did, and they set up an useless comparison between the two.

Why useless? Well, let’s just take a look at the specs, shall we? The MINI Challenge race car version has 275 HP at its disposal, 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, a sequential gearbox, track tires and weighs just a tad over 1 ton. That’s over 300 kilos (661 lbs) in weight difference. Chip in the aerodynamics and suspension setup and the reasons why comparing them is useless become evident.

Should we also mention that the track car can’t be used on public roads? If you get one, you’ll be confined to proper circuits. On the other hand, we were rather surprised that the difference between the two in lap times was so small. Get some race rubber and a little more power under the bonnet of the road-legal version and you might be surprised of what it can do, not to mention that you’ll still be able to go grocery shopping with it!