Auto Shanghai: Mini and Rolls-Royce team up for special edition

Iconic compact car maker Mini has unveiled a collaboration with top luxury marque Rolls-Royce at the Auto Shanghai show, which opens this week.

Boasting "top-grade materials, the highest level of workmanship and stylish supremacy," the 'Mini Inspired by Goodwood' special edition transfers some of the luxury trappings of a fully-fledged Rolls-Royce into a much smaller package which will be produced in a run of 1,000 units.

It was conceived at Rolls-Royce's design division in Goodwood, UK and is finished with several touches which will be familiar to fans of the luxury brand, including a dashboard and door handle surfaces finished in Walnut Burr and a black leather dashboard top.

To offer "incomparably high-quality ambiance," the design team has included 'Lounge' leather seats in Rolls-Royce Cornsilk (a warm and natural beige), while the roof boasts a cashmere lining, and Mini says that the carpets offer a "deep-pile lambswool quality" also featured in current Rolls-Royce models.

To make sure the car is instantly recognizable, it's finished in the Rolls-Royce 'Diamond Black 'metallic color and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels with a multi-spoke design.

Despite featuring the same engine as the Mini Cooper S (a 1.6-liter 135 kW/184 bhp four-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger), the Mini Inspired by Goodwood could be several times the price of its diminutive relative - some reports suggest it could be priced as high as £50,000 (around €57,000).

Auto Shanghai runs April 21-28 in Shanghai, China.

http://www.autoshanghai.org/en/