Filed under: Auction Action, Hatchbacks, MINI
MINI: Diesel edition
No, it's not powered by diesel fuel, it's powered by DIESEL cool. The MINI Cooper pictured was designed by MINI and Renzo Rosso, founder of the Italian clothing label Diesel, for Europe's biggest AIDS benefit, the Life Ball. It sports a blue and white "lived-in" denim convertible top, along with copper accents to replicate copper rivets seen on Diesel jeans. Look for it on Ebay June 20-30, where it will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Life Ball 2006. If you look closely you'll also see the MINI's sheetmetal has been "aged" just like those $300 pairs of jeans crazy people buy.
[Source: WorldCarFans]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
D-Dog 3:27PM (6/01/2006)
Worn jeans cool; worn Minis not cool.
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Carmine 3:40PM (6/01/2006)
i second that, d-dog.
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Mad Scientist Matt 3:59PM (6/01/2006)
Maybe they should have broken a bunch of the interior trim bits, scattered some years-old french fries under the seats, ripped the upholstery, and added a few squeaks and rattles to complete the "lived-in" look. Maybe unplugged one of the taillights too. It doesn't look like a true beater the way they did it. At least a cotton convertable top may not be the most waterproof, and that counts for something when it comes to beaters.
The cool thing about driving a worn-out car is getting to aggressively not care about it. You can leave it unlocked in the worst part of town, ignore basic maintenance, get it airborn crossing railroads at 55 mph, and never care if it gets broken, because you can scrap it and buy another for $500. Somehow I think whoever buys this one is going to miss out on all that.
What were they thinking? The real automotive equivalent of dirty-washed jeans is flat black primer. That MINI might have looked a lot cooler painted like that, maybe with a nearly white denim top and black stripes.
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mana 6:12PM (6/01/2006)
this is a stupid idea following an even more stupid idea, buying brand new worn clothing (or anything) at a premium is a fool's errand. wearing brand new worn anything tells anyone and everyone you see exactly how much of a moron you really are. its not cool, its just stupid. doing this to a brand new mini is a crime...the only thing redeeming about this is that the car will be used as a catalyst to remove lots of money from someone in the more-money-than-brains-club and give it to some people trying to make a difference in the world. i bet BMW NA and silly mcjeans company spend twice as much money making noise about this than is raised for the AIDS fund.
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Howard Kerr 8:05PM (6/01/2006)
Amazing, they took a reasonably decent car and f**ked it up big time. I've never been a "fan" of the Diesel brand or brands like it, and seeing this car will keep me away. That said, I WON'T be surprized when some nitwit pays a ton of money to own this.
This is the automotive equivalent of wearing designer jeans below your waist so that your baggy assed boxer shorts are visible to all the world.
Why not a faded blue paint job, a slightly aged. blue top (and NO stupid stripes), and copper colored (or bronze?) wheels? The top with it's stripes makes this poor car look like a pimpmobile for midgets on a midget-sized budget.
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Jim Eilerman 9:13AM (6/03/2006)
Hold the presses. I just got back from a trip to England where Honda seems to have a new 2.2 diesel sitting in some of their vehicles. It's sitting in the Accord and Civic. I've ridden in both, and they are smooth quiet, and fast. Best thing though is the Civic has a great new (to me) body style with no rear door handles (they are in the window frame post. Bueatiful, fast and lots of room...I could have bought two for the price of my 2006 corvette! Check it out if it ever gets over here to the states.
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D. See 5:09PM (6/19/2007)
Excellent! I think that i know the answer, but did you happen to get any photos at all? I'm a die-hard Lexus fan, but if Honda brings the car that you described to the States, I'll jump ship faster than a pirate's parrot with his tail feathers on fire! That's the car that Honda should bring to North America. VW has the diesel monopoly with affordable diesels (I used to own a New Beetle TDI), but while the engine was awesome, the car's build quality sucked. Honda would get a nice chunk of VW buyers, I'm sure.
Buck 2:14PM (6/06/2006)
It is about time...the mileage alone that a diesel engine will bring will be worth it to the purchase of the car. Not only that be the car will last a good long time. I know that repairs cost will rise, but fuel costs will be saved, so they might shake hands and be more economical to own this rather then it's Gas Brother.
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caddy kaye 10:41PM (6/13/2006)
i love my mini..great gas mileage..fun to drive with the top down..best car i ever had. had a lot of custom work done to it..wouldn't trade it for anything
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