Every year, you can always count on MINI->ke57 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."

UPDATE 05/21/2012: Franca Sozzani has unveiled its specially designed Mini Roadster at the 20th Life Ball in Vienna. The car comes painted in Deepest Purple matte paintwork combined with a gold hallmark MINI rally stripes, gold wheels and wing mirrors, and a stylishly intricate floral design on the car's roof. The car was sold for an impressive 54,000 euro ($68,800 at the current exchange rates). Check out the picture gallery for a pretty impressive set of images from the car's official launch.

2012 MINI Roadster by Franca Sozzani

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 MINI Roadster by Franca Sozzani
  • Segment: Array
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 208

.