BMW has unveiled the latest high-performance version of the Oxford-built Mini.

The 135mph supercharged Mini Cooper S was revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. It will go on sale next summer. The price has not yet been announced.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, 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 new Mini Cooper S

"The car has a great pedigree, great looks, a stunningly powerful engine and top-of-the-range refinement.

"Add to this the superb chassis and handling experienced on the Mini One and Mini Cooper and you have the ingredients of a truly super car in the supermini segment.

"It's a great second step in the Mini's bright future."

The car will be instantly recognisable as the flagship of the Mini range with an air intake scoop on the re-shaped bonnet, chunky bumpers, centrally-mounted twin tailpipes, black side-sills and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The 163 horsepower 1.6-litre Mini Cooper S will appear on the market 39 years after the original S model was introduced.

It was driven by celebrities such as Peter Sellers, various Beatles and Steve McQueen.

The Mini Cooper S dominated the Monte Carlo Rally in the mid-1960s, winning in 1964, 1965 and 1967 and controversially in 1966, when it was disqualified after the finish.

The car was also immortalised in the dramatic chase sequences in the hit film The Italian Job in 1969.