Jeremy So was today the first day of spring? It was still cold enough to have the heated seats on full blast in the GP – only the brake discs were warmer after an enthusiastic drive through the Wiltshire countryside.

I’m surprised the £29,000 GP doesn’t have a rear wash-wipe like the rest of the Mini clan. The rear screen is covered in dust tonight and with a setting sun behind the car, there is zero visibility. Tricky for tight parking spaces and motorway driving. I ended up using my spotty handkerchief to clear it.

I’m also finding some of the retro switches and dials in the Mini not as easy to operate as they could be. Let’s hope the new, 2014 model will improve what is at times, a complicated and tricky centre console.

Those gripes still don’t stop the GP from putting a smile on my face every time I wind up the revs. I imagine that if you can squeeze 10,000 miles from those 17-inch wheels you would be doing very well indeed…

Jeremy  With new Minis being launched all the time, the appeal of the GP may have been a little diluted. I say that because every time I stop at a filling station or car park, nobody seems to register what a special little car this is.

Today, a couple of ‘yoofs’ in a Vauxhall Astra managed to string a sentence together and ask me what I was driving. They thought it was a model I had ‘created’ myself – adding the roof spoiler and red detailing in a mid-life crisis.

One feature I couldn’t have added myself is the ‘Sport’ button, discreetly tucked away in front of the gearstick. Of course, a button like that has to be pressed and the result is a swifter response from the accelerator and slightly stiffer power steering – ideal for track days but not much use on Bank Holiday roads.

On the few occasions I have been able to escape the rest of Bank Holiday Britain, the GP has been tremendous fun. When pushed hard, the car has a tendency to scrabble for grip as you change up through the gears. Traction control then cuts in and automatically reduces engine power. To overcome this, Mini has fitted a “GP Mode’ switch which eliminates the problem and gives a much smoother ride.

It’s taken five five days to get to grips with the 215bhp of power from the 1.6 turbo engine but now I’m really starting to enjoy myself….

Jeremy Anders Warming is the head of Mini Design. At the launch of the car, he was asked one question more than any other – Why?

“Within the fan community, it’s really been something that everybody has been talking about,” says Anders.

And that just about says it all. With a limited run of just 2,000 GPs worldwide, this is one car that any Mini fan lucky enough to have £29,000 burning a hole in their pocket would want to own.

“This is a Mini that was born to race. All the features – like the red air intakes to cool the brakes and the rear roof spoiler for optimum ground force – have a purpose,” he added.

After a couple of days in the GP, I’m just starting to get the feel of the car. There are no flappy padels on the steering column, no satellite navigation as standard and, of course, it lacks a back seat to save weight.

If you want to use a sporty Mini as an everyday car, then a standard Cooper S will save you a small fortune and prove a better bet. Yet the GP is so extreme, you can’t help but get a buzz from driving it.

It reminds me of the first time I drove a Caterham 7. That car has no radio, no doors and a comedy roof. But as we move towards an age when cars are so safe and sanitised we might as well take a bus, the GP replaces every comfort that it lacks with one joyous extra.

FUN.

Jeremy Removing the backseat from a Mini is an extreme weight-saving measure just to improve performance. However, as our GP model is really a track day car in disguise, Mini enthusiasts won’t worry too much about the lack of passenger carrying space.

Besides, if you were daft enough to buy a GP for everyday use, then a huge rear load area does have its uses. You can squeeze in a bike, an enormous amount of Easter shopping – or a large dog. Just not at the same time.

Day one of our GP test started with delivery by a charming, elderly gentleman who had driven the car cross country in hellish, Bank Holiday traffic. It’s fair to say he was probably a teenager when the original Mini first appeared back in 1959. Stepping from the car, he looked as if he had just covered a hundred miles in a shopping trolley. The rock hard suspension must have proved a handful on potholed roads.

So, first impressions are that this really is the ultimate Mini. Fast, powerful and constantly straining at the leash, you need all your wits about you to keep it tamed. This is especially true around town, where the GP grumbles through heavy traffic and longs for the open road. The 17-inch alloys and sports tyres provide a constant soundtrack, with a subdued rumble from the exhaust pipes when required.

To either love or hate the shape of new generation Mini – I happen to rather like it. I’m not so keen on all the decals and badges splattered over the GP but having never been a labels man, that might explain why. More tomorrow when I hope to get the car out on some twisty A-roads…

Jeremy – My Easter present is on its way from Oxford. All the stats suggest the Mini GP is going to be a load of fun over the Bank Holiday weekend and I’m just waiting for the doorbell to ring.

There are plenty of faster cars for the money but what is it about the Mini that brings out the spirited driver in us all? I never owned an original Mini but I’ve enjoyed a couple of the new generation. Styling on the GP suggests maximum fun from every angle. Can’t wait to get inside and get moving…