The MINI John Cooper Works pays tribute to Pat Moss with a special edition

That competition and racing are part of the DNA of a brand like MINI is something many of you surely know, but what you may not know is that it was driver Pat Moss who laid the foundations for MINI in the world of competition. Now, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, MINI wants to pay tribute to its legendary driver with a limited edition of just over 800 units.

Pat Moss, alongside her co-driver Ann Wisdom, achieved MINI’s first victory in a classic Cooper in May 1962 during the International Tulip Rally. This rally has been held in the Netherlands since 1949 and at that time, as you can imagine, it was completely dominated by men, but both managed to win thanks to exemplary navigation after completing the 2,500 kilometres they had to cover. They also achieved another feat, as Ann Wisdom wanted to compete despite being pregnant at the time. Pat Moss’s record, younger sister of Formula 1 driver Stirling Moss, is exceptional: she also won the Rally di Sestriere in 1968, reached the podium in other international events and was European Women’s Rally Champion on five occasions.

MINI now pays tribute to Pat Moss with a limited edition based on the John Cooper Works, in both its three-door and five-door bodies. It will also be the first time it is offered with the Multitone Roof as an additional option. The bodywork will be available in several colours, from Chilli Red to Melting Silver and Jet Black, while versions with the Multitone Roof can choose Pepper White or metallic Midnight Black for the bodywork, with red wing mirror caps.

A tulip graphic symbolising the International Tulip Rally decorates the C-pillars and the Side Scuttles, which also appears alongside the inscription of the name and the key details of the first victory on the aluminium door sill plates, designed specifically for this edition. This is not the only reference to the 1962 rally: below the Side Scuttles on the front wings appear the route they took (Noordwijk – Monte Carlo – Noordwijk), the distance of 2,500 km, the vehicle and race number 104 they used in the event.

The design changes do not end here: the wheels feature a tulip silhouette together with the MINI logo, and for the first time a horizontal stripe on the bonnet in white is used, accompanied by a three-dimensional print reading 737 ABL, which refers to the registration plate of the MINI with which Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom won. To complete the exterior styling, the front bumper features the signature Pat Moss wrote on the bonnet of her car after one of her victories.

Inside the MINI JCW there is also a tribute to both of them: a Piano Black painted trim which, on the passenger side, recalls Pat Moss with her signature and, on the driver’s side trim, there is a representation of the engine pistons moving, with bars at different heights forming the “M” and the “W” in memory of both co-drivers. Finally, the leather-trimmed sports steering wheel features a tulip-shaped graphic on the lower spoke.