MINI Will Race Porsche, But Hyundai Wants in on the Action *UPDATED WITH RESULTS

Posted on Jan 11, 2018 in Racing | 1 comment

Today is the day!

The epic battle between the heavyweight champ and the featherweight underdog, Porsche vs. MINI, is set to happen tonight at 7 pm in Atlanta.

The invitation went out, the hype was built, the date was set.

At first Porsche said no, opting not to race a 911 Carrera S against a Cooper S, even with a 385 to 172 horsepower advantage.

MINI, using its Facebook page, upped its trash talk and continued to taunt Porsche. But then another player jumped in and changed the game altogether. Suddenly MINI was the one being challenged at its own game, by none other than the scrappy but determined Hyundai.

In a smack-talkin’ video directed at MINI, Hyundai said it is more than willing to bring the Genesis Coupe to Road Atlanta next month.

Maybe Porsche didn’t like another contender coming in and trying to take the glory. Or maybe MINI just got a 911 of its own to race. Whatever the circumstances, MINI and Porsche will race!

Things are a little more interesting for MINI now, though. Losing to a Porsche has a certain marketing cache, but what will it do about Hyundai’s invitation? Losing a race to a Hyundai wouldn’t be quite so prestigious, but the funny thing is, MINI can’t really decline. It can’t beg another carmaker to accept an informal challenge from an “inferior car” and then go do the same to Hyundai.

A race against a Porsche is a win-win for MINI. By racing Hyundai, MINI will have everything to lose.

MINI’s little viral marketing campaign has taken quite the fascinating turn, making for some seriously fun fodder for us car enthusiasts.

Who knows, maybe next month we’ll have a mighty three-way shakedown… Porsche vs. MINI vs. Hyundai. For now, though, let’s get racing!