Dsquared² Mini Cooper S ‘Red Mudder’ Gets Dirty for a Good Cause
The idea of an off-road Mini (other than the Moke which, if you ask us, is impossible to not adore) is kinda silly. Historically, the Mini has been about cheap, cute and fun on-road driving. Yeah, they’ve conquered rally stages covered in snow and gravel, but not with drastically lifted suspension and tires that appear to have bad cases of the mumps.
So why, then, are we attracted to the curious chimera seen here? It’s certainly more palatable than Mini’s own Countryman, but we should still be responding to it with pictures of cats displaying humanoid expressions of repulsion, right? But for reasons we still don’t quite understand, we really dig it. And the fact it was created for charity makes it even more appealing.
But first the specifics: It’s a 2011 Cooper S Hardtop (We say that as long as the B-pillars touch the roof, it isn’t a legit hardtop.) that’s been gone over by Canadian twin brothers Dan and Dean Caten (pictured below), better known collectively as the fashion design firm Dsquared². They’ve treated this Mini – dubbed the Red Mudder – to a front grille guard, eight off-road driving lights, a roof rack, a rear hatch-mounted spare tire, tinted windows (with protective screens over the rear side glass and sunroof), raised ride height, big knobby tires, fender flares, running boards, aluminum floor coverings and Dsquared²’s trademark maple leaf logo on the doors and headrests. If you ask us, it looks more like a rally car than Mini’s own Countryman-based WRC contender.
Now we know what you’re thinking: Why would fashion designers hop up a car? Well, they did so for a worthy cause. The Red Mudder will be auctioned off at the annual Life Ball in Vienna, an event that benefits organizations that are fighting HIV and AIDS. And this is not the first customized Mini to be sold at Life Ball, either; in years past, other designers like Donatella Versace, Diesel and Missoni have created one-off Minis to be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to AIDS-related charities. All told, Mini has been a supporter of Life Ball for the last 11 years as part of parent company BMW’s corporate citizenship initiative.
But if Mini really wants to do a good deed, they could release a limited number of pre-runner-esque Cooper S Hardtops inspired by the Red Mudder for sale to us peons who don’t have the cash or the connections to bid on the genuine article. It probably wouldn’t count as a tax write-off for Mini or BMW, but the company could feel good about bringing joy to the lives of others. And isn’t that what charity is all about?
Source: Mini
Where did you find that brush guard?
Where did you get the rear tire mount, or built the mount?