Porsche Rejects MINI's Challenge to a Race

Interesting headline there, eh? Thank MINI's marketing department for that one. We've been hearing a lot about marketing in the automotive industry lately, and there is no denying that MINI's is one of the smartest out there.

The company challenged Porsche to a race pitting the 911 Carrera S versus the MINI Cooper S. Ridiculous, right? But marketing brilliance. They set the date for June 21 at the Road Atlanta raceway, close to Porsche's United States headquarters.

For MINI, it was a win-win - just getting Porsche to accept was a huge win for press coverage. If the Porsche won (which is a given) it would be what everyone expected. In the unlikely event the MINI won, it would be a huge upset. If (when?) Porsche rejected, you have the headline you see here. Check the statement below, made by Porsche to MINI about the challenge.

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://tinyurl.com/37xdjqx

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