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MINI supports the Life Ball in Vienna for the 12th time.
Since its market launch in 2001, MINI has been a regular partner of the Life Ball. In previous years numerous celebrities have left their stylistic imprint on an exclusive MINI model, among them the design team DSQUARED2, star photographer Mario Testino and designer Angela Missoni. “And thanks to the visual signature of Franca Sozzani, the this year’s MINI designed specially for the occasion has similarly become a lifestyle and design highlight in the name of this good cause,” says a delighted Gery Keszler, founder and organiser of the Life Ball. As such this one-off model fits in perfectly with a further highlight of the event – the Fashion Show presented by MINI, staged this time round by VOGUE Italy. The show for this anniversary year stoked up particularly keen anticipation after Keszler announced a 20-year retrospective of fashion history. Cue for top models of our time – including Eva Padberg, Tatjana Patitz and Karolina Kurkova – to revive some legendary looks from the past. The many fashion and lifestyle personalities attending were thus able to witness the comeback of Thierry Mugler’s almost forgotten robotic look and the famous train dress that Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Dagmar Koller. Alongside representatives of leading fashion labels such as Diesel, Missoni, Gianfranco Ferré, Heatherette, Philip Treacy, Moschino and Paco Rabanne, politicians including ex-US President Bill Clinton as well as numerous film and television stars made sure they did not miss out on the AIDS charity event of the year 2012.

The social commitment of the BMW Group.
Worldwide measures to combat HIV/AIDS are one of the main elements of the corporate and social policy pursued by the BMW Group. The company’s involvement in South Africa is particularly wide-ranging, covering a comprehensive workplace programme for employees and their families, plus a number of different projects in the local communities and further afield. The carmaker is also committed to fighting this pandemic in other affected countries, such as Thailand or China. Membership of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) underlines its long-term commitment at its various locations.

Iggy Pop and Gossip rocked the stage.
Motor sport buffs and design aficionados were joined at the largest get-together of the MINI Community by enthusiastic followers of the international music scene. Which was no surprise given that some of the world’s hottest stars were on the bill. On Friday, for example, rock legend Iggy Pop had the stage buzzing to the sounds of his band Iggy and the Stooges, before Paris-based house DJ Martin Solveig whipped the crowd into a dancing throng with his infectious club repertoire. That was followed on Saturday by a line-up including the punchy punk-pop of Grammy award-nominated duo The Ting Tings. And a sensational set from Gossip reminded us why front woman-cum-fashion icon Beth Ditto has been anointed the “Coolest Woman on the Planet”.

Record numbers set up a feast of the spectacular.
Records were being broken as well as played in Le Castellet, as the number of enthusiasts from around the world attending the previous MINI United at Silverstone, Great Britain (25,000) was bettered once again this year. 30,000 fans took over the Circuit Paul Ricard during the three days. The majority did the honourable thing by turning up in their own MINI, some even driving 6,490 km (4,032 miles) from the outer reaches of Russia to France. There, they mingled with fellow MINI devotees from the USA, Japan and Canada, who had also etched the event into their calendars. This unique gathering of MINI models ensured that the MINI Club Area, in which 24 MINI clubs from around the world were represented, the already legendary stage for ultra-spectacularly styled cars a.k.a. Beauty Parking, and a line-up of the full MINI product family were an even greater attraction than ever for the MINI fans.

Norm checks in from France: Miniology is on site at MINI United 2012 in Le Castellet Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France as Mini enthusiasts arrive by Mini, plane, train, and ferry. Its a beautiful setting in a georgeous little coastal town on the “French Rivera”. The sun has just risen with clear blue skies. I will unpack the cameras and microphones and get to work!

For the last 30 years, the MG Car Club Northwest Centre has hosted the Tulip Rallye, an automobile tour of the Skagit Valley region of Western Washington State. This year on April 21st, 2012, the rallye starts in the Mount Vernon area, but you never know where it may take you from there. Through colorful tulip fields, windy country roads or scenic shoreline drives, it’s everything you need for a beautiful daytime tour of the region.

We have designed this event so that each car club, with a minimum of five cars entered, will be eligible for a first place prize to be awarded to the top performer within their club. Individuals not associated with a particular car club will compete in the “open” category.

The Tulip Rallye is intended to be a fun event. It’s not a time/speed/distance event, but a light hearted gimmick rallye with trivia questions written into the tour guide. It’s fun for the whole family. Some clubs now make this rallye their April driving event.

There are restaurants along the tour route, but they are often very crowded, so we recommend that you pack a picnic lunch to eat along the way.

We look forward to your club’s participation in the 31st Annual Tulip Rallye.

Here is the REGISTRATION FORM.

Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

David Ellis
Event Coordinator
MG Car Club NorthWest Centre
1521 Eagle Ridge Drive S., Renton, WA 98055
425-277-1086
tuliprallye@aol.com

Also, we take a run down to Mini of Marin for a special media event to mark the opening of this new dealership as well as the tenth anniversary of Mini in America.

Also, we’ll take a high energy look at the new Mini Coupe and Roadster.

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Here is a link to the Wings of Angels website:
http://www.alyssaswingsofangels.org/

It’s been 10 years since the new Mini hit the shores here in The Colonies. That’s a lot of smiles! Happy 10th Mini USA!