It’s a Mini world after all

An upcoming match race, stadium slumber party and list of high-flying cars share something in common: they all include the Mini Cooper.

Here’s how.

M v. P

Think of the all time great mismatches. David against Goliath. USA hockey taking on the Soviets. Mini versus Porsche.

Whoa. The first two are maybe the biggest upsets of all time, with David dispatching of Goliath with a single slingshot and the 1980 U.S. Olympic team outskating the Russians in the “Miracle on Ice.”

But the compact Mini Cooper against the legendary Porsche, in a race? Moreover, the opponent won’t be David, or Jim (Craig, U.S. hockey hero goalie), but Brad.

As in Brad Davis, general manager of Hendrick Imports in Charleston and a Mini driver in sports car races primarily in the Southeast.

A few things first. MINI USA concocted the race earlier this year and arranged for president Jim McDowell to narrate a short, comical video that’s viewable online on the Mini v. Porsche Challenge. It’s been followed up by ads in the New York Times and other major publications.

The race will take place June 21 at Road Atlanta, with Mini putting up its best-selling Mini Cooper S and Porsche expected to match up with its top-selling 911 Carrera S. Porsche has not officially accepted the challenge, although noted Porsche driver Hurley Haywood has been tapped to drive if it happens.

So why would Porsche hesitate? Well, a bunch of reasons. First, Mini laid out the course, which doesn’t cover all of Road Atlanta but is an autocross track with lots of tight turns and few straightaways to pick up speed.

“We stacked the deck a little,” Davis said.

Also, Porsche is in something of a “lose-lose” situation. If Porsche wins the race, it will be seen as no surprise. If Porsche loses, Mini will have a huge publicity maker. And if the German sports-car maker stays on the sidelines, it will seem like sour grapes. Plus, Mini has bought a Porsche and will hold a race, with or without the company’s participation.

Davis said has he taken some ribbing about being Mini’s driver. So what do his cohorts want him to do?

“Just to win,” he said.

Parking at the park

Start with a national car rally, mix in the Charleston Riverdogs and what have you got? It’s a bid to hold the world’s largest Mini “slumber party.”

The event is scheduled for the night of Thursday Aug. 5 at Joe Riley Park. Participants can watch the Riverdogs baseball game the next day.

Brad Davis, general manager of Hendrick Imports, said the event ties in with the carmaker’s Mini Takes the States, a yearly rally of Mini Coopers countrywide.

This year, the routes lead to Denver, with feeders in different parts of the country. The official southern feeder is Atlanta. Mini drivers who start in Atlanta will leave on Aug. 7, arriving in Colorado for the big rally Aug. 14-15.

Davis said that Mini of Charleston is sponsoring a “pre-feeder” event inviting Mini motorists along the East Coast to visit the Charleston area before heading to Charlotte and then Georgia. Organizers are planning to supply cots, and the Mini slumberers will watch the movie “The Italian Job,” which stars Charlize Theron and a whole bunch of Minis.

Davis said he doesn’t think the Mini owners will have to sleep in their compact cars, “unless it rains.”

Small and speedy

On the surface, earning the chance to drive a four-cylinder car wouldn’t seem like a “bucket” moment.

It’s not that they’re undependable but you would hardly confuse them with race cars.

Or would you?

According to auto information company Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, car manufacturers have beefed up the comparatively modest four-cylinder. The researcher this month picked a “Top 10 Fast Lane Four Cylinders.”

High fuel prices and more stringent emissions controls were cited as spurring carmakers to build four-cylinder performance cars with a 21st-century twist.

“Many car shoppers may be surprised at the sheer number of performance-oriented new cars available today that boast ‘only’ a four-cylinder engine,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive market analyst for kbb.com. “Even more surprising is the amount of power and performance elicited from many of these four-bangers, providing a satisfying alternative for enthusiasts who also may be looking to save a little cash at the gas pump.”

The kbb.com editors acknowledged that the four-cylinder models lack “the visceral kick and deep-throated exhaust rumble of bigger and more cylinder-rich V-type engines.” But finely crafted four-cylinders, often either supercharged or turbocharged, “deliver a synergistic blend of adrenaline and efficiency that represents a more-than-fair tradeoff.”

All of the 2010 top picks, except the Lotus Elise/Exige, are sold at Charleston-area new car dealers. The other picks in no particular order are the Nissan Sentra SE-R/Spec-V, Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T, Volkswagen GTI, Honda Civic Si, Audi TT/TTS, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR/MR, Mazda Mazdaspeed3, Subaru WRX/STI and the Mini Cooper S/John Cooper Works.

For more information, visit www.kbb.com/FastFours2010.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com