More than 1,700 people have put in advance orders for the top-of-the-range Mini Cooper S, which goes on sale in June at an on-the-road price of £14,500.

The Oxford-built car, which will have a six-speed gearbox, will be the most powerful new Mini so far, developing 163 horsepower from a super-charged 1.6-litre engine.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, the general manager for the Mini in the UK, said: "The Mini Cooper S is the icing on the cake for everyone working on the Mini.

"The car has a great pedigree, great looks, stacks of power and top-of-the-range refinement. You have the ingredients of a truly super car in the supermini segment. It's a great second stage in the Mini's bright future."

News of the increasing demand for the Cooper S comes as it is revealed the Mini will be on sale throughout the world by the end of the year.

It will have its hotly anticipated US launch in March, following a highly successful debut at the Detroit Motor Show this week. The Mini One and Cooper models will be first on the transatlantic market, with the Cooper S not expected until after the UK launch.

Spring will also see its arrival at Japanese dealerships. It is expected to be snapped up in a market where the old Mini was a big favourite.

Latest figures show 11,628 new Minis were registered in the UK by the end of last year, with 24,965 sold in total. Worldwide BMW sales for the year rose by more than ten per cent to a record 822,181.

If demand exceeds supply at Cowley, BMW plans to introduce extra shifts as it has done at other plants in Germany.

BMW spokesman Martina Mertes said the situation would be monitored closely, although the current shift pattern was expected to cope.

The Cooper S, which will be recognisable by a large air-intake scoop on the bonnet and centrally mounted twin tailpipes, will come with sports suspension, a range of electronic systems, including traction control, four airbags as standard and with run-flat tyres.

It will appear on the market 39 years after the original 'S' was introduced.

It was owned by celebrities including John Lennon and Steve McQueen and established the Cooper legend and dominated the Monte Carlo Rally in the mid-1960s, winning in 1964, 1965 and 1967.