Mini celebrate 50 years with the one-off George Harrison MINI

MINI celebrates 50 years of existence in 2009. A big three-day event to commemorate this milestone takes place at Silverstone in the UK from 22 May. There will be song, dance, food, racing and a whole range of other activities during the festivities.

One of the attractions will undoubtedly be the one-off George Harrison MINI which is a new interpretation of the original car that the famous Beatle owned. The car is designed with psychedelic images just like the 1966 car Harrison owned. Each of the Fab Four were given a Mini Cooper S by their manager in 1966 as a gift. Harrison got his painted in these psychedelic images in reflection of the zeitgeist of the 1960s. The Mini was even featured in The Beatles' 1967 TV movie Magical Mystery Tour.

The car will be given to Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison. After the 50 years ceremony, it will then be auctioned off to aid Material World Charitable Foundation that Harrison started back in 1973.

"George was a huge MINI fan," said Mrs Harrison, "and he would have enjoyed creating this new version. The fact that MINI's anniversary celebrations will also benefit our Foundation has made it an enjoyable as well as meaningful collaboration."

For more information, check the Press Release below:

New edition of the legendary George Harrison MINI helps support a good cause.

Munich/Silverstone. MINI has come up with a fresh interpretation of George Harrison's extravagant original Mini to coincide with the brand's 50th birthday. The one-off model will be handed over to Olivia Harrison at the MINI United event. Olivia will accept the MINI on behalf of the Material World Charitable Foundation, a charity set up by George Harrison in 1973. The car will be auctioned in aid of the Foundation later in the year.

MINI United - the world's biggest fan event - will take place at Silverstone in the UK on 22 - 24 May 2009. The festival delivers three days of non-stop entertainment for the brand's large fan community. MINI United is all about concerts, shows, car races etc., and provides the perfect stage on which to showcase the unique new MINI inspired by George Harrison.

George's psychedelic MINI in a new look
Back in 1966 The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein gave each of the Fab Four a Mini Cooper S as a gift. In keeping with the zeitgeist of the time, lead guitarist George had his car painted with psychedelic images such as yantras and Sanskrit mantras. In 1967 this legendary Mini starred in The Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour. And now, to coincide with its latest landmark anniversary, MINI is dedicating a modern interpretation of George's car to the man himself. The MINI has been designed according to the wishes of Olivia Harrison and rekindles the look of George's famous original.

"George was a huge MINI fan and he would have enjoyed creating this new version. The fact that MINI's anniversary celebrations will also benefit our Foundation has made it an enjoyable as well as meaningful collaboration." says Olivia Harrison.

Replay signs up as MINI United partner
The denim specialist congratulates MINI on its latest landmark birthday and presents an anniversary jeans model, which will be available exclusively and in a limited edition from the Replay stand at the MINI United event. To mark the anniversary, the used-look jeans sport a circular "50 Years of MINI" sew-on badge on the front left pocket. Added to which, all the MINI staff at the festival will be kitted out in Replay jeans. Selected Replay stores are promoting the event in special window displays.

Audi working on new E1 minicar

Even as fuel prices slide back down to pre-crunch levels, the automotive industry knows it's only a temporary respite and continues its gear-up for a new layer of premium small cars. On the German front, BMW is thought to be working on a sub-1-series mini car, Daimler already has its Smart, and soon Audi will join the club with its own fuel-sipping urban warrior.

The latest reports indicate the car will be based around the same platform as VW's up, and will do battle with the likes of Ford's Ka, Toyota iQ and the Fiat 500. The car is expected to be called the E1 and it is to be the entry to a range of new ‘ecological’ models, which will span everything from minicars to performance models.

Power will come from a 600cc turbocharged two-cylinder engine in either petrol or diesel guises. The small engines will certainly be underpowered for extended highway use, but with CO2 emissions under 100g/km and about 80mpg (2.9L/100km) fuel efficiency, according to AutoExpress, the E1 will be an easy to operate, low-tax tool for getting around any major city. An electric powertrain is also being considered, but as yet no details on its capabilities have surfaced.

Positioned below the A1, the E1 would also get a 1.2L three-cylinder, which would be more highway-capable than its two-pot brethren. Nevertheless, the up! based vehicle will still be primarily targeted at younger, affluent, urban audiences with an emphasis on technology and style.

The fact that so much of the Audi city car's competition is gearing up for U.S. sale and/or production hints that the E1 could be sold in America as well, though poor exchange rates, high transport costs and a generally weak economy could conspire against such a decision. Nevertheless, given the expected production time frame, Audi should have several years to makes its decision.

While the VW version of the up! will be hitting the streets in 2010, the Audi variant will have to wait a while, and is not expected until late 2011. Production will be handled at VW’s plant in Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside the up! version as well as Skoda and Seat variants.