[Brad]

The John Cooper Works garage at East Preston, near Worthing, is to close. The garage, opened six years ago, was named for legendary race engineer John Cooper, who built Grand Prix winners for drivers including Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham before going on to work with BMW on motorsport versions of the original Mini and, of course, the Mini Cooper itself. Cooper went on to produce aftermarket tuning kits for the Mini after it was discontinued, as well as running a Honda dealership, and prior to his death in 2000, he worked with BMW on the development of the all-new Mini Cooper which continues to bear his name.

John Cooper's son Mike has carried on the family tradition, running the East Preston garage to sell both 'new' Minis and classic Minis, mostly with the John Cooper Works (JCW) kits and modifications. Mike Cooper has recently collaborated with BMW on models including the recently-launched limited-edition Mini GP, a Mini Cooper S with the JCW GP kit. However, he has now taken the decision to close down the retail side of his garages, and will no longer sell Minis from the East Preston showroom, which will be shut, along with the workshop.

"Mike will continue to work with BMW", a Mini spokeswoman confirmed. "He wants to concentrate on producing more tuning kits and developing upgrades."

Mike Cooper explained to 4car that: "The JCW kits are fully BMW-approved. They are now available at all Mini dealers throughout the world, who can fit them as factory options. To move forward as a retailer myself would mean a large investment to relocate to new premises, i.e. to turn into a BMW dealership and move out of the area. I just want to design, develop and manufacture the tuning kits."

The East Preston workshop has also sold and tuned classic Minis. "I didn't want to go into restoration", Mike Cooper said, "but I will keep JCW parts for classic Minis, and can supply direct to people for fitment themselves or at their local Mini specialist. I am still very much involved with the classic Mini - it's in my blood. I'm still involved with, for example, the Italian Job rallies. I will always continue to support classic Minis."

Cooper will keep a head office, but much of the engineering work on future JCW kits for the Mini will now be sub-contracted; he will not keep a permanent workshop. But although he wouldn't give details, it's safe to assume that Mike Cooper is working on a number of JCW tuning kits and modifications for the upcoming Mk2 Mini and its variants. The John Cooper Works brand, far from dying out as some Mini enthusiasts have suggested, is now likely to gain further international recognition via the partnership with BMW. However, it's a shame that the Works garage, which has become a bit of a Mecca for enthusiasts of Minis old and new, will be closing its doors.