Mini is billing it as the sportiest Mini ever, and it will cost from £23,050.

The new Mini John Cooper Works has gone on sale, offering buyers a 0-62mph sprint in 6.3 seconds and a 153mph top speed thanks to its 228bhp 2.0-litre turbo engine and 320Nm of torque.

And an optional £1,330 steptronic sports automatic gearbox with launch control can help it go from 0-62mph even quicker, in 6.1 seconds.

Mini also claims efficiency improvements of almost 20% over the previous model, with 133g/km CO2 emissions and combined fuel economy of 49.6mpg from the steptronic auto version, and 155g/km CO2 and 42.2mpg from the manual car.

Competition expertise has been put to good use in the design of the engine, suspension, brakes and aerodynamics. The exterior styling and interior trim also benefit from motorsport influence and distinguish the John Cooper Works as a model in its own right, totally distinct from the MINI Cooper S, while the sports exhaust system delivers a rich racing-inspired sound.

Enlarged front air intakes and an additional air inlet in the near-side outer area of the front apron where the fog lights would normally be housed have been added for extra cooling. These additions along with the sports brakes, give an immediate clue to the sporting prowess of the most powerful production Mini ever.

The hexagonal radiator grille has a honeycomb centre and a red blade as well as bearing the John Cooper Works logo. This logo is replicated on the boot lid. LED headlamps are standard and are surrounded by LED daytime running lights incorporating the direction indicators.

Aerodynamic additions to the MINI John Cooper Works include new ducting elements in the front apron, bespoke side sills, a rear apron with flaps and a diffuser containing the wide twin tailpipes of the sports exhaust system, and a rear spoiler.

Other exclusive design features are side indicators with a red inlay and a John Cooper Works logo.

John Cooper Works 17-inch light alloy wheels with a Race Spoke design are standard, and 18-inch John Cooper Works light alloy wheels with a Cup Spoke design are optional.

Inside there are new body-hugging John Cooper Works sport bucket seats with integrated headrests, John Cooper Works-logoed door sills, leather multi-function steering wheel and gear selector, stainless steel pedals and footrest, and interior trim in Piano Blac, with red accents on the seats, steering wheel rim, gear selector and central instrument surround.