- Race-ready special edition ‘MINI John Cooper Works GP’ has ECSTA V700(V70A) as default
- Supply is finalized with technology/production approval after OE tyre supply contract with BMW
Kumho Tyres, one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers, announced that it has supplied its original equipment (OE) ECSTA V700(V70A) (215/40R17) UHP tyres to BMW’s premium small car brand MINI JCW GP (MINI John Cooper Works GranPrix).
MINI JCW GP, first released at MINI United 2012 held in Le Castelle, France last May, is a special edition, and was designed on the MINI racing car that won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the 1960s. MINI JCW GP, commercially launched last December, is a second-generation model following 2006 MINI GP Kit and only 2,000 units have been produced worldwide.
Kumho Tyres was asked from BMW Group to develop OE tyres for MINI JCW GP from the very beginning of the car’s design and it won BMW’s final technology approval last June. The latest tyre product was developed focusing on stable high-speed drive as Kumho’s motor sport technology has been continuously recognized through overseas car race events. The new MINI equipped with ECSTA V700 tyres is dubbed as the fastest production MINI in history as it honed on Germany’s Nürburgring-Nordschleife in a very impressive 8 minutes and 23 seconds, which makes it about 19 seconds faster than its predecessor MINI GP.
ECSTA developed on Kumho’s racing tyre acumen is its Ultra High Performance tyre brand, offering responsive handling, high-speed stability, excellent traction, as well as low noise and outstanding ride comfort. The sporty ECSTA V700 developed for MINI JCW GP features an asymmetric tread design to offer the optimal grip to amateur racers and speed aficionados. Kumho Tyres has produced the product since last September and completed its exclusive supply to BMW.
“After our contract with BMW in 2011 for OE tyres, we have developed products uniquely for MINI GP. We are very proud that the MINI equipped with ECSTA V700, the concentration of Kumho Tyres’ technology, has set a record as the fastest MINI in history,” said Il-taek Jung, executive director of Kumho Tyre's central research center. “We are very excited that our products produced in Gwangju, Korea will meet MINI JCW GP produced in Europe, which will be on the road around the world.”
In addition to BMW, Kumho Tyres has been supplying its OE tyres to global carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Chrysler, GM and Ford.
