I'll be honest - this wasn't a proper, pedal-to-the-metal attack on the Goodwood hill climb route. That's mainly because today is the Moving Motor Show, a kind of warm-up act ahead of the Festival of Speed proper opening tomorrow.
Today is about production cars, and most importantly, letting potential customers drive those cars. So a 60mph speed limit is in place across the entirety of the route, and the course comes with an extra hale-bay chicane which will be removed for the timed runs tomorrow. The restrictions are frustrating in a normal road car, and downright impossible to adhere to in a 228bhp Mini Cooper JCW.
I've been itching for a go in this hottest of hot Minis ever since it was unveiled at the Detroit motor show back in January. Okay, so its 236lb ft of torque, 153mph top speed and 6.1-second 0-62mph time aren't going to worry the likes of the Honda Civic Type R or Volkswagen Golf R, but at £24,380 in six-speed automatic form, the John Cooper Works is the cheapest option of the three.
The Cooper JCW has another string in its bow, too; to this reporter's ears, it sounds by far the best of the three. JCW models come with a small keyfob which disengages the catalytic converter from the exhaust, making the engine's noise louder and ensuring plenty of pop and fizz elsewhere.
I also like the JCW's transmission. Select manual mode while waiting at the start line, and you can use the paddle shifts to pull away with plenty of gusto. Brake for the first right-hand corner, then it's a blast up the Goodwood hill, past Goodwood House itself and then left in to the snaking, narrow wall section. The JCW's quick and steering is ideal for the last few sections, where the hill climb course alternately widens and narrows, and then it's across the line.
As we enter the Moving Motor Show pavilion, there's still a long line waiting for their turn in the JCW and the various other performance models heading up the hill today. Although not quite 'flat out and fearless' - that will come tomorrow - the Moving Motor Show delivers exactly what it promises and that's giving the car-buying public a truly unique test drive.
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