MINI Plans to Box Against the Boxer-Engined Car

MINI seems to have become obsessed with the idea of racing Porsche at Road Atlanta. The lilliputian marque has created a new video which, unlike its last effort to convince Porsche, which was 50 percent cool and 50 percent lame (if you ask us), offers a good 2 minutes and 46 seconds of entertainment.

MINI has released a funny or die Rocky IV parody video. Contrary to what some might have expected, you won’t see MINI’s U.S. top exec Jim McDowell sweaty and throwing punches. Instead, the trailer-like video shows the MINI Cooper S and the Porsche 911 Carrera S training just like two boxers. Each vehicle flexes its hood, door and wheels muscles by lifting weights and delivering blows.

Too bad MINI didn’t play with the meanings of the word boxer. OK, that would’ve been a blow bellow Porsche’s boxer engine belt but it might have brought extra cheese, which is exactly what the video is supposed to do.

We have to remind you that the whole MINI vs Porsche marketing fantasy began last week, when MINI challenged the rear-engined brand to a race just outside the latter’s U.S. headquarters, at the Road Atlanta race track. However, the rules of the races were pretty unclear, which added a new reason to the huge list that could have made Porsche refuse.

As expected, the maker of the 911 threw a towel over MINI’s gauntlet. The big... hearted brand responded by launching an aerial assault on Porsche’s HQ and releasing a rather uninteresting video. Porsche has been using the “there is no elephant in the room” attitude, but it looks like this didn’t stop MINI from beating on its marketing chest again...