2012 MINI Roadster by Franca Sozzani

Every year, you can always count on MINI to be a presence at the Life Ball charity gala. As a matter of fact, the German automaker is more than just a presence there; they bring with them a specially designed MINI vehicle that will be auctioned off at the event with the proceeds going to projects that battle HIV and AIDS.

2012 is the 12th straight year MINI will be part of the occasion. Each year, the German automaker brings a specially designed MINI vehicle that has been designed by a plethora of the fashion world’s pre-eminent designers, including D’Squared, Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Francisco Costa of the Calvin Klein collection, and the Blondes.

This year, the mantle has been passed to Franca Sozzani, the chief editor of Italian Vogue and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Fashion 4 Development. Sozzani was tasked to design a MINI Roadster and she went about with the design and development of the one-off Roadster, saying that the inspiration comes from a "beautiful woman who put a scarf on her head when she drives a Roadster."

For now, we only have a rendering of the Franca Sozzani-designed Roadster, but you can expect details about the car to be revealed before it is auctioned off on May 19 at the AIDS Solidarity Gala at Vienna’s own Hofsburg Palace.

topspeed.com