…Porsche!
That’s right, after all that back and fourth between Mini and Porsche, the 911 Carrera S came out on top. See Porsche? You should’ve just accepted the challenge, there was nothing to be scared of.
The race was held as scheduled at Road Atlanta, though not on the actual course. It was on the course’s paddocks and was laid out in an autocross style by Mini, which clearly helped the lil’ Cooper gain some advantage. Apparently not enough advantage though.
The end result was the 911 Carrera S being a full two seconds faster despite being almost 500 pounds heavier and much larger overall compared to the Mini. Mini was quick to point out that even though the Porsche won, it boiled down to $38,000 per additional second. Again, Mini is touting the value of the Cooper S.
But the folks at Mini aren’t sore losers at all. They said CEO McDowell will wear a “Porsche beat us” t-shirt for a week. They said it was all in good fun and they are the only car company not taking everything so seriously all the time, and I have to say, they are right. All this really brought out some friendly fun competition and everyone ended up having fun in the end. It was a brilliant strategy by Mini (even though they lost) because it got them lots of free press, maintained the Mini’s image as being fun and playful and it helped them to point out an extra 2 seconds on your lap time will cost you plenty.
Now, to make things even more interesting, take Hyundai up on their offer, Mini!
Check out the race above and check out the pre-interviews of the Mini and Porsche drivers after the jump.
