Now here’s a MINI we’d call a real animal –literally, since the revamped British hatch has been covered from tip to toe with real cow skin. And all for the name of art and… marketing as the cow-skin MINI has been created by Bisazza, an Italian design company, with the official blessings from MINI Switzerland. The car, which bears the nickname “Pet MINI”, will premiere at the in Zurich-Oerlicon's upcoming New Spaces exhibition, along with a Le Corbusier Chaise Longue that can be seen in the pics after the jump. According to MINI Switzerland’s Director of Communications, Claudine Hatebur de Calderón, the idea behind the Pet MINI was to create a piece of art that visitors would also like to touch and stroke. We hope they’ll stop at that –one never knows what to expect from people in these frantic times. PS: We've added the official French press release translated to English for apparent reasons –check it out and you’ll see -Click “Read More…” Below
Via: Autoblog Green , Source BMW
French Press Release Translated
“The fart MINI” First world with the “neue räume 07” in Zurich.
For the first time, “MINI The fart” will be presented at the press and the public during the exposure “neue räume 07”. This single model could be admired in first world in market ABB 550 of Zurich-Oerlikon, with the Long Chair of Corbusier, Jeanneret and Perriand.
After having taken part in the “neue räume 05” with his Bisazza MINIS, MINI Schweiz creates the surprise with the Living room of the piece of furniture and the design of this year by presenting “MINI The fart”.
Whereas the Clubman MINIS cannot be exposed yet to this living room because of its date of launching on the market (10.11.2007), a very particular idea came to mind from Claudine Hatebur de Calderón, director of the communication of MINIS: “MINI The fart” - MINIS treated in extremely original objet d'art, with touching and cherishing. The MINIS and the Long Chair join together a style and an elegance of very high level and are appropriate thus remarkably for “new spaces 07” - pilot contemporary art of our time.
The idea which found its origin with the MINIS in exclusive costume carrying the mark of the Italian life style Bisazza develops now with the MINIS animal. Five noble skins of exceptional quality decorate “MINI The fart” and make of it a single design object. They are here skins of bulls and cows Norman, which do not present any grain.
For the work of saddlery, we could ensure us the collaboration of the company Mr. Pescha + Sohn AG, in Muttenz, workshop of automobile garnishing good known for its work of restoration of oldtimers.
The great challenge for this company consisted in accentuating the edges and contours of the MINIS, while combining in an ideal way the various nuances of the skins. To cover round surfaces, concave and convex of the body of the MINIS, the skins had to be softened and formatted during a whole night. It was thus possible to cover the elements like the back spoiler and the external rear view mirrors without resorting to any seam. The lines speak about themselves and, as for the Long Chair, one concentrates thus on essence.
Holy merde; for a minute there, I thought I was looking at my high-school math book –I’m not kidding! The shapes, the colors everything looks like what I use to engrave on my workbook in-between breaks – if my mind’s not playing tricks with me, I think it was called class. Engraving “sticks & shapes” on your school books simply because you’re daydreaming in class is one thing, but doing it on your $250,000 or so Lamborghini Gallardo? There’s something totally wrong upstairs dude… -More images after the jump 
Via: Diariomotor
