Mandela BMW goes on auction
6 June 2005
One of BMW's 10 "Democracy Cars" goes on auction in London this week, with proceeds from the sale going to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and two British charities, SHINE and Norwood.
The auction, Put Yourself in My Shoes '05, takes place at Madame Tussaud's on 9 June.
The 10 limited edition cars were built by workers at BMW's Rosslyn plant near Pretoria last year in celebration of South Africa's 10 years of freedom. BMW's suppliers donated the materials free of charge, and the cars were built in the BMW workers' own time.
Mandela autographed each car in a prominent spot on the dashboard, with a plaque affixed to each car attesting to the authenticity of the great man's signature.
Of the 10 cars, three were reserved for the South African market and the others exported to the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Germany.
The
Mandela-autographed BMW was donated to Put Yourself in My Shoes by BMW UK (Pty) Ltd.
Bono, Arsene Wenger and Craig David are among the other celebrities contributing to the Put Yourself in My Shoes '05 celebrity auction - with lots up for grabs including a guitar donated by Dire Straits' Mark Knoppfler, and an opportunity to be serenaded by Tom Jones in Las Vegas.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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