Can a crossover do a backflip? That's the subject of this Video Find, with a rally-prepped Mini Countryman S All4 John Cooper Works driven by French rally driver Guerlain Chicherit. It's the latest attempt we've seen from automakers trying to draw consumer interest through extreme sports.
Chicherit speeds through a dock dodging shipping containers and forklifts toward the ramp. While the video shows the Countryman JCW launch toward the sky and begin to rotate in the air, the video is cut short before we find out whether the Mini crossover and rally driver make it safely back to terra firma. A second video is expected to be released to show the Countryman JCW's landing.
The Countryman JCW Chicherit uses in the video may have similar modifications as the four Countryman JCWs prepared for the Monster Energy X-raid Team for the 35th Rally Dakar, which begins January 5 in Lima, Peru. Chicherit participated in the 2009 and 2010 Dakar rally and is currently preparing for this year's 14-day rally.
The rally-prepped Countryman JCWs on the Monster Energy X-raid Team are powered by a BMW-sourced twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel engine that produces about 300 hp at 3250 rpm and 516 lb-ft of torque at 2100 rpm, giving the 4200-pound crossovers a top speed of about 110 mph.