The Versace MINI that got very mixed reviews by MotoringFile readers a week ago has attracted a 125,049 Euro bid just 40 hours after bidding started at 1 Euro. The bid is a record for eBay. Versace is selling the eBay to raise money for AIDS projects around the world.
The auction will run until the 30th of June.
<p>well… if a beach towel is $800 US.</p>
<p>At that price it’s obvious the car comes with the pictured driver!</p>
<p>Is that a driver, or is it a piece of leather luggage?</p>
<p>Seriously, though, it’s good to see such generous bidding for a worthy cause – although I don’t particularly care for this car’s design.</p>
<p>FYI,</p>
<p>The lady in the picture is Donnatella Versace, the younger sister of Gianni Versace who became a world reknown designer before he was shot to death in 1997. After her brother’s death Donnatella took over as lead designer for Versace.</p>
<p>Before her brother’s death, Donnatella was in charge of PR and photo-shoots. Many credit her with boosting her brother’s artistic creations onto the world stage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/donatellaversace/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/donatellaversace/</a></p>
<p>Some good quality sandpaper, a bit of elbow grease, and the winning bidder will soon have a nice MINI.</p>
<p>(I should have added a smiley on the comment above – it was intended to be humorous, not trying to offend anyone. The paint job is not to my taste)</p>
<p>It’s a VERSACE car; so, I dont think anyone should expect to see just bonnet stripes and a unique color.
It’s great that the car is sols for a good reason…</p>
<p>hideous, absolutely hideous</p>
<p>if there was less minis sold, there would be less opportunity for this type of thing to take place.. the ruination of a fine car..</p>
<p>oh by the way.. took the classic mini to a big even this weekend.. some bmw minis there, and my austin mini..</p>
<p>i could have taken my bmw mini but at car shows, i take the austin mini..</p>
<p>the austin mini was the hit of the show. i was parked next to expensive jags and the bmw minis.. </p>
<p>people were lined up to have their picture taken next to my austin mini.</p>
<p>a big YES to Chad. it is for charity… and a damn good cause. not being a Versace fan… it would be fun as hell to drive that around South Beach! E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E. Which is what SoBe is all about. 8-)</p>
<p>…I really love that MINI.Why? One,it’s for a great cause. Two,the paint job is sweet(matches up perfectly with Versace’s usual printwork). And;three,it’s a one-of-a-kind MINI.Therefore,a bigger hit than say,…oh,I don’t know,…our snobish;yet goofy friend,JimOhio and his 2 minis?</p>
<p>Jim, you of all people should appreciate this car because it is unique! Yet another reason why all can see that your disingenuous arguments are really just a desperate bid to stroke your ego.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll put a bid in for it. If I win it, then I could give it to Jim and then he could realize his lifelong dream of being a one-of-a-kind.</p>
<p>SNL early ’80s:</p>
<p>“Even if you are a one in a million kind of guy, in China there’s still a thousand of you”</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Checkout that shifter nob, Really nice.</p>
<p>But did anybody notice that it isn’t even an S? I guess you want to go slow enough that people notice your snobishness.</p>
<p>Might be for a good cause and all, but Donatella doesn’t seem very cheeky or fun….except when they goof on her on SNL.</p>
<p>And yes, it is not a very attractive car.</p>
<p>ok time for basic definitions</p>
<p>unique – different, uncommon, rare;
(like austin minis in the usa)</p>
<p>unique but hideous – the MINI in this picture</p>
<p>Mark, it’s funny how JimOhio doesn’t care for the paint scheme, he says that paint schemes don’t do anything for a car (see his comments in “More on BMW’s Further Investment in MINI”), yet cites his Union Jack paint scheme (also see “More on…”) as a reason for his Austin Mini’s popularity. He contradicts himself just to get some point across!</p>
<p>To reiterate comments I posted a while ago, he picks the arguments that suit him at that particular point in time, ignoring the rest of what’s been said.</p>
<p>Now, as for what I think on the Versace paint scheme, I would not want to own it. It’s meant for someone who absolutely has to be noticed. I’m not that insecure, nor am I a flashy person to begin with. But the design is not half-bad and it looks expertly executed. I’d get a picture with it, sit inside to get a feel for it, but that’s all.</p>
<p>My, my, my…
Jim is at it again. Hey Jim, were there any CORVETTES at the car show?</p>
<p>I am a relative newbie. Does “JimOhio” Ohio, really exist, or is he a foil that Gabe has created to anger loyal MINI enthusiasts?</p>
<p>Rustyb,</p>
<p>I don’t think Gabe would want the potential grief from such an experiment. He’s too smart for that.</p>
<p>I think JimOhio is a real person who feels he has to be the “winner” in any conversation/interaction with others. It’s almost as if he thrives on arguing. He always has to be right, so any reasoning that contradicts his views will be ignored, as if nothing was ever said. I’ve seen this kind of behavior before. It’s a mark of a true narcissist.</p>
<p>He stated his opinions with his last post on “basic definitions” so I’m interested to see how he proceeds from there. Will these “definitions” morph into JimOhio facts? We’ll see. On another topic, I introduced the issue of Corvettes and he couldn’t say enough to put down Corvettes or stereotype those who like them. It gives you an idea of how he makes his arguments. Later, he stated to me, “yes we can disagree on this issue”. That sentence, alone, acknowledges that we had been arguing OPINIONS the whole time. But he then lapsed back into calling his opinions “facts”. He lost credibility with me a long time ago.</p>
<p>Judging on past interactions I’ve had with him, I seriously question his capacity for introspection. So don’t expect to get through to him anytime soon.</p>
<p>ok…
i more definitions.. well really not definitions per se but examples</p>
<p>ready?</p>
<ol>
<li>tasteful, classy, incredible
= austin mini with entire car<br />
painted in union jack scheme</li>
</ol>
<p>the austin mini is an incredible fan draw in usa, not just because of the union jack paint scheme.. the austin mini is an crowd draw in an of itself and a huge crowd pleaser, because in part the austin mini is HARDLY EVER seen.. the extra touch of my union jack paint on an austin takes an incredibly awesome car and and puts it into superawesome car category..</p>
<p>i hope none of you copy my union jack paint schemes.. (please get your own ideas).. now here is a picture of how my austin is painted:
but make sure to check after the link for more great comments.</p>
<p><a href="http://homepage3.nifty.com/hotwell/MINI/OLD/MINI%20(26)" rel="nofollow ugc">http://homepage3.nifty.com/hotwell/MINI/OLD/MINI%20(26)</a>.JPG</p>
<p>compare that to the hideous flower
MINI on this article…. this paint is so hideous it took a cool car (MINI) and ruined it’s looks.. yes a MINI is a cool car. i have one as you know.. but i have mine done up cool, not tacky and hideous and flamboyant.. here is a picture of a similar one.. i have my MINI saved on my p.c. but not hosted on web so i can try and find one that is similar to mine (copycat)..
now i don’t have that much on my MINI as this one</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pier-models.com/acatalog/c2485%20BMW%20Mini%20Non%20Ltd.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.pier-models.com/acatalog/c2485%20BMW%20Mini%20Non%20Ltd.jpg</a></p>
<p>but it gives an idea of a MINI done right.. not some horrible design as the article presents..</p>
<p>so in summary,
unique but cool = winner
unique but hideous = loser</p>
<p>what makes my union jack autin such a winner is even WITHOUT the union jack paint scheme, the austin mini is THE crowd favorite.</p>
<p>the MINI had that shared role when the MINI first came out…
all of you that love and applaud
“soaring sales” saw to it that that role has been taken away from it.</p>
<p>and finally as far as this weekend car shows.. no vettes were there (thank God).. but i was set up next to jags, double, triple, and more times times the price of my austin mini… not a single person took a family members picture next to the jags..</p>
<p>but they were lined up to see the austin mini and to have their picture taken to the austin..</p>
<p>oh yeah. there were a few MINIS there too…. i felt like i stole the show..
several people came up to me and said how i had a “Real mini” and how they like the “old minis” more than the new ones..</p>
<p>i am gracious of course and simply said.. well thanks.. i like both minis and am glad the name plate is carried on.
that kind comment makes me look even better to the austin mini fans and MINI owners that may be nearby.. </p>
<p>well that is it i guess..i am so thankful there were no vettes at the show. i can see several vettes now as i go for a run.. they are so common.. why are vettes even allowed in car shows.
they should be banned at car shows..</p>
<p>Gabe,</p>
<p>You should really consider featuring JimOhio in a MotoringFile reader profile. Seems he’s just crazy (about cars, I mean). You might want to check with the authorities first: I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI has been working up a profile of their own on JO, so perhaps this could be a collaborative article :)</p>
<p>soo… err… uhh… the union jack paint scheme was HIS idea? baffling. there’s bound to be some foreign dignitaries that would argue that one.</p>
<p>the first time i saw it i was shocked as well, but after looking at it a bit, it’s not soo bad. it’s actually very interesting.</p>
<p>btw… LOVE the shift knob.</p>
<p>Why doesn’t JimOhio Post an email address and why do we care what he thinks?
To quote Rodney King
“Why can’t we all just get along?”</p>
<p>well the union jack paint scheme was not my original idea, but in the usa, it may as well be as the austin mini is so so rare in usa. </p>
<p>most people have never even saw a plain austin mini. </p>
<p>so the union jack paint scheme on an austin mini in the usa is a great paint scheme on a car that most people are already drawn to.</p>
<p>Where did you get the information about it being a record on eBay? Just curious, as I’m not sure that’s true.</p>
<p>Well, it’s not my taste, but really now – look at Donatella – so overdone she’s scary – and best viewed from a distance. And, I’m afraid, the car is no different!</p>
<p>But, it is for a worthy cause, so we can just sit back and watch someone with waaaaay too much extra money lying around bid and win it. No, they wouldn’t do this with a Jag, or an Evo, or a Vette, but you have to admit, there is something intangible, quirky and unique to the Mini that makes it a target for just this kind of thing. And that is exactly why I own one!!</p>
<p>Glad we’re back on the subject.
Wonder what she’ll do.</p>
<p>Yes – it’s a very pretentious piece of leather luggage, named Donatella Versace!
I believe there’s an optional matching side airbag.</p>
<p>Is someone writing a book about an egotistical car enthusiast from Ohio? Because it appears they’ve posted most of it here.</p>
<p>While the Versace Mini may not be what would be considered everyday wear, it is signature Versace and I do not think that it could have better immortalized Versace’s visual flare. I mean – how does one dress a car in flowing chiffon? You can’t, so the pattern works to represent a style icon. (And no – I am <em>not</em> referring to Donatella, but to <strong>Gianni Versace</strong>, who paved the way for her.)</p>
how does one dress a car in flowing chiffon? haha that guy said it best. and summed it up.. a fitting tribute! who cares whether it is flamboyant or not.. versace was flamboyant.. put that in your pipe and smoke it jim… pretention abounds!
p.s glad that your car was worshipped at the show…sounds like someone is making up for a lack in other areas. haha