MINI 1998 GT Edition Priced at $36,875 as Sixth Icon Drop of 2026

• MINI’s new 1998 GT Edition carries a total price of $36,875, built on top of the $29,500 base MSRP for the Cooper C 2 Door.
• The limited-run model is the sixth of eight special-edition “Icon Drops” MINI plans to release in the US through the end of 2026.
• Production starts in October 2026, with cars reaching MINI dealers in November.

A Name Borrowed Straight From the Engine

MINI is bringing back its GT badge for a limited run of the Cooper C 2 Door, and the new car takes its name from the hardware under the hood. The 1998 GT Edition references the 1,998cc turbocharged engine that powers it, a nod to the classic Mini 1275 GT and MINI 1499 GT models that carried the GT name decades earlier. It is built on the MINI Cooper C 2 Door, one of the brand’s more affordable models, rather than a flagship John Cooper Works car.

What $36,875 Actually Buys

The base MINI Cooper C 2 Door starts at $29,500, and the GT Edition package adds a specific list of paint, trim and equipment on top. Midnight Black Metallic paint with a black roof and mirror caps costs $650. The Signature Plus Trim with Comfort Package runs $2,400, and the John Cooper Works Style package adds $1,500. Buyers get 17-inch John Cooper Works Sprint Spoke Black wheels with all-season tires included, plus a John Cooper Works Aero Kit in gloss black for $1,600.

The GT-specific content, including “1998 GT” side decals, a “GT” rear decal, wheel center caps, door entry sills, floor mats, a key fob cap, a steering wheel insert and a center console storage box lid, adds $1,225. Total MSRP comes to $36,875, plus a $1,350 destination and handling charge on top.

GT Styling Inside and Out

The exterior pairs Midnight Black Metallic paint with orange lower-body graphics and “1998 GT” lettering, along with GT badging and matching orange accents. The 17-inch JCW Sprint Spoke wheels and the John Cooper Works aero kit round out a look built to read as motorsport-inspired rather than subtle.

Inside, the car gets John Cooper Works Sport Seats trimmed in black Vescin with black knit inserts, and a heated three-spoke JCW steering wheel with its own GT badging. Floor mats and door sills carry GT-specific piercing and detailing, and the key fob cover and center console storage box lid pick up the same theme.

Sneaker Culture Comes to the Dealer Lot

MINI is releasing the 1998 GT Edition as part of a program it calls Icon Drops, which borrows the release strategy of limited sneaker drops: a fixed run, a specific reveal date, and no guarantee of a restock. The 1998 GT Edition is the sixth of eight planned US drops for 2026, following the MINI Cooper S 2 Door 1965 Victory Edition, the MINI Cooper S 4 Door Red Line Edition, the MINI Paul Smith Editions, the MINI Cooper Heritage Edition and the MINI Rooftop Editions.

MINI has built special editions dating to the 1960s, well before “drops” became a marketing term borrowed from streetwear and sneakers. The timing carries real significance this year: 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the modern MINI’s launch, and the brand is using that milestone to push out a steady run of limited paint and trim packages rather than one single celebration car. Each of the eight planned drops gets its own reveal date and marketing push, treating a trim-level update the way a sneaker company treats a shoe release, with a countdown, a landing page and a defined window to buy in before the next drop replaces it.

That approach changes how a buyer needs to shop. A special edition sold the traditional way sits on the order sheet for a model year and can usually be configured on demand. An Icon Drop works differently: miss the production window and the specific combination of paint, decals and trim disappears, at least until MINI decides to revisit the GT name for a future drop.

When It Arrives

Production of the 1998 GT Edition begins in October 2026, with a limited number of cars reaching MINI’s 104 US dealers starting in November. MINI has not confirmed exactly how many units it plans to build, which is typical for a drop-style release designed to sell out.

At just under $37,000 out the door, the 1998 GT Edition sits in territory shared by other performance-flavored hot hatches like the Honda Civic Si and the Volkswagen GTI, though neither of those rivals leans on a limited-run release strategy the way MINI now does with every Icon Drop. Buyers who want the look have a narrow production window and a specific dealer allocation to work with, rather than a model they can special-order at any point in the year.

For anyone cross-shopping the segment, the math is easy to follow. A base Cooper C 2 Door starts almost $7,400 below the GT Edition’s total price, and the gap buys a specific look rather than any change to the engine, transmission or suspension underneath. The 1,998cc turbocharged four-cylinder that gives the car its name is the same unit found across the wider Cooper C lineup. Buyers are paying for the badge, the decals and the guarantee that the combination will not stay on sale indefinitely, not for extra horsepower.