Mini is using the power of the Internet to challenge Porsche to a race, pitting their Mini Cooper S against Porsche's superior 911 Carrera S two weeks from today at Road Atlanta. Surprisingly, Porsche is actually considering it.
Mini's betting on its 172 hp Cooper S to whoop the 385 hp Porsche 911 and are challenging them via a Facebook campaign, a full page ad in the New York Times and the video below. Mini USA President Jim McDowell — formerly of Porsche — wants Porsche USA president Detlev von Platen to meet him at Road Atlanta (convenient to Porsche's Georgia HQ) on June 21st with the drivers of their choice. Should Porsche win, McDowell will sport a shirt saying the Porsche is faster than the Mini. McDowell even throws in a Porsche-gets-bald-guys-laid joke.
Though the Mini likely doesn't have a chance, they've got nothing to lose by having themselves compared to the 911. Automakers often challenge each other to one-on-ones, but their competitors usually refuse either because they know they'll be defeated or they don't like the brand association. So no matter what happens, the company organizing it usually wins.
For their part, Porsche is at least considering taking Mini up on its offer.
"Porsche has the most racing victories of any manufacturer out there — 28,000 and counting — maybe we should go for 28,001," Steve Janisse, Porsche's Media Relations Manager, told Jalopnik. "We just need to see what they're up to."
We encourage Porsche to take up the offer and smoke the crap out of them because, as long as the race isn't through the sewers of Turin or around the world's tiniest autocross, they've got the edge.
Dear Jim,
Imagine our surprise to discover our former employee, now the head of Mini, has challenged us to a head-to-head race. As you surely know, Porsche has a long history of racing success, with more than 28,000 wins over the last 60 years. In our early days, we pitted ourselves against the giants, so we’ve been in your shoes.
But as you also know, Porsche doesn’t race for fame, stunts or publicity. We race to challenge ourselves; we race to push sports car technology; we race to translate every win on the track to our cars on the road. If you need a reminder of our intent, please take a look at this short video: http://bit.ly/9fP2sv
While your challenge seems like a fun and lighthearted campaign, we’ll stick to racing the way we have over the decades. We welcome you at Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona or any other sanctioned race where there is more at stake than T-shirts and valet parking spaces. We also invite you to any of the thousands of tracks around the world where Porsche owners compete each weekend.
Good luck with your race at Road Atlanta on June 21; we hope you enjoy the day.
Sincerely,
Detlev Von Platen President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America
