Mini’s new JCW hot hatch will be available with both petrol and electric power

Hot hatch enthusiasts, rejoice! Mini has confirmed the John Cooper Works variant of its hatch will debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours on 1 June, before it goes on sale later this year. And yes, it will be offered in both combustion and all-electric form.

Browsing through these camo shots - one of two race cars that’ll be entered in the showpiece German endurance race - the design changes over the Cooper S are pretty clear to see.

Those include the return of an open grille and huge air inlets on either side, with more aggressive side skirts and a not-at-all intimidating rear diffuser for company. It’s also been given a centrally-mounted single exhaust, which we think looks ace. Though it remains to be seen just how much of this will be carried across to the final production spec.

In terms of powertrains, we expect the ICE model to boast an uprated version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four found in the S, where it produces 176bhp and 207lb ft of torque. The more polar bear-friendly electric hatch should also pull the powertrain from the equivalent SE, albeit with a sharp rise in its 215bhp output.

Further details remain elusive for now, but it’ll be interesting to see just how different the two cars will be, given the obvious weight difference that’ll exist. More as we get it...