Hirst's Audi A1 sold for £350k at charity auction...

Audi A1 with a Damian Hirst paint job goes for £350,000 at a charity auction.

All the A-list stars present at a glitzy charity auction were upstaged by a unique take on one of the newest Audi cars, the manufacturer claims.

Sir Elton John's White Tie & Tiara Ball saw close to 700 VIP guests from around the world descend on his private home in Windsor, to provide support for his AIDS Foundation.

Yet Audi claims the star of the show was one of its A1 models, which had been given a special paint job by acclaimed British Artists Damian Hirst.

The hatchback, which will not be available to UK customers until November, was daubed with paint in Hirst's particular style, the final result being a vibrant work of automotive art which was bought for a "staggering" £350,000.

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Damien Hurst's Audi A1 donated to Sir Elton John's auction...

Damien Hurst's unique used Audi car is being donated to Sir Elton John's upcoming White Tie and Tiara Ball.

The auction will be held today (June 24th), and the renowned artist has donated his Audi A1, which was spin painted in Hurst's Gloucestershire studio.

Fully driveable and road legal, the Audi will undoubtedly be one of the favourite items up for grabs among celebrities.

Sir Elton's partner David Furnish said: "Audi has been a wonderful partner with us, and this year they have really produced something fantastic.

"I am sure it will be a huge hit with our guests."

The lucky bidder that drives away with Hurst's Audi A1 can at least rest assured that the car brand has some of the lowest premiums compared to other manufacturers.

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Fiat cars inspired a 6 year old's art exhibition.

The artwork of six-year-old Sebastiano Ludovico is set to brighten up Fiat cars on show at the brand's flagship Marylebone dealership.

The showroom is hosting an art exhibition of the youngster's work, which has attracted interest from international music stars and Hollywood actors.

Paintings displayed in the 'Fiat through the eyes of a child' exhibition have been inspired by past and present Fiat cars. More than 100 guests from the business and art worlds attended the opening reception of the exhibition.

Fiat Marylebone managing director Tony Dittli explained: "I'm delighted the showroom now has such a good reputation for these types of events.

"Sebastiano Ludovico is a remarkable talent within the art world and I, like so many of our guests at this event, was completely amazed by his work - an incredible achievement from one so young."

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Audi cars are the British driver's favourite...

Used Audi cars could be among the most popular vehicles in the UK, with a new poll indicating that the German brand is their favourite.

Nearly one in three (29 per cent) of people responding to the MSN Cars website poll selected Audi as their favourite, followed closely by BMW (23 per cent of votes) and Mercedes (21 per cent of votes).

Volkswagen cars were voted as fifth favourite in the poll of around 26,000 people, which received just 11 per cent of the vote, putting it slightly behind its German counterpart Porsche, which received 16 per cent.

Commenting on the findings, MSN Cars content manager Tom Evans explained: "Audi has a rapidly expanding range, aspirational marketing, its own dedicated dealerships, and 'halo' models like the R8 supercar.

"All this has in the past few years helped Audi to become the German brand many people seem to aspire to."

Last month, figures from the Association of British Insurers indicated that Audi drivers pay significantly less than owners of other branded cars when it comes to insurance premiums.

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Dad's motoring priorities change when baby arrives...

Two-thirds of new dads are likely to look for different qualities in a new car after their first child.

Nearly seven in ten men (68 per cent) change their opinion about what makes a good car when they become a father for the first time, according to our new research half of those polled would opt for a hatchback, with reliability high on their agenda.

However, more than a third are still resistant to scrapping their penchant for speed and style, claiming that they would still prefer a sports car.

We see that this change in priorities among a majority of dads is only natural, for instance what seemed important in a car before, such as speed and style, is replaced by practicality, reliability and safety when a baby arrives. Plus you need something with room enough to carry all of the baby's paraphernalia!

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Independent review proposes drink driving law change...

Drivers will welcome proposals to reduce the legal blood-alcohol limit for motorists, according to Sir Peter North.

In the first major review of the drink and drug driving law since 1976, Sir Peter has recommended that the legal alcohol limit is reduced from 80 to 50mg per 100ml.

Sir Peter studied research conducted by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence and insisted that the public would not only accept the move, but welcome it.

"I not only believe that it is right to reduce the limit, but that the public is ready for a lower limit. It is time to give them what they want," he said.

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World Cup 2010 footballing Smart cars take centre stage...

World Cup fever reigns at Mercedes-Benz World, where eight Smart cars will entertain the crowds by playing football.

Four Smart Fortwo models liveried in England white and red will take on a Rest of the World team in matches consisting of two five-minute halves and a penalty shoot-out.

The Smart football will kicked off at 12:30 today and same time tomorrow, with further matches on June 26 and 27 and July 10 – the eve of the World Cup final.

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