Mini Lucky 13 Edition honours Bathurst winner with limited-run special

Mini has unveiled the Lucky 13 Edition, an Australian-exclusive limited-run model based on the John Cooper Works three-door hatch.

It celebrates the 1966 Bathurst 500 victory by Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden in their factory-backed Morris (Mini) Cooper S.

Not only did the Aaltonen-Holden pairing beat the rest of the field, but Mini Coopers took out the top nine spots in the famed Mount Panorama endurance race that year.

According to Mini, the special edition's name relates to Mr Holden drawing 13 out of a hat and embracing it as his, and his car's, lucky number.

Design cues taken from the 1966 Bathurst winner include the pair of white bonnet stripes, the white roof, and circular 13 decals on the doors and bonnet.

The car pictured throughout this article is a pre-production prototype. The production version of the Lucky 13 Edition will miss out on the roof rails seen here, but will keep the black winglets, red JCW tow strap and black Vescin upholstery.

Mini notes the size, colour and font used for the circular 13 decals may differ. Hopefully, the letter spacing and positioning will better match the original car's.

Placed side-by-side, the Lucky 13 Edition dwarfs the original. It's also obvious the special edition's British Racing Green IV paint is a much lighter shade than the race car's.

Other modern appointments for the Lucky 13 include 18-inch John Cooper Works Rallye Spoke 964 Bicolor wheels in grey, and carbon-fibre JCW-branded exhaust outlets.

Like the regular JCW version of the Mini Cooper, the Lucky 13 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine making 170kW of power and 380Nm of torque, and driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Just 26 Lucky 13 Edition vehicles will be built for Australia. They are expected to arrive Down Under during the first quarter of 2027, and pricing starts at $71,990 before on-road costs.

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