Fiat 500 sells for $420,000!

Fiat’s new 500 is on a roll with the waiting list of hopeful new owners continuing to grow in Australia. While the Australian hopefuls wait, a cashed up buyer in the UK has just parted with the equivalent of $AU420,000 for a basic Fiat 500 that has been scribbled on.

Okay, scribbled isn’t quite the right word. The non-factory original graphics have been supplied by acclaimed English artist Tracey Emin. It is Tracey’s talent and possibly the popularity currently being enjoyed by the 500 that have combined to make this particular example one very expensive Fiat 500.

Entitled ‘Dark, Dark, Dark’, Tracey Emin’s Fiat 500 was among lots which included diamonds, a safari holiday, a speaking role in actress Uma Thurman’s next film, Eloise in Paris, use of a luxury yacht, fashion pieces and other works of art.

“We were very pleased with how the car was received. The $420,000 it raised is not only an amazing amount of money for a car, but it was also a significant sum towards the total we raised for charity. We are absolutely delighted,” says Charlotte Locks-Moro, the charity’s event executive.

More than 1,200 guests attended the auction, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the actress Uma Thurman and model superstar Liz Hurley.

This special 500 is one of four specially designed and painted examples which took the art world by storm last year. It was sold at a charity auction in which generous donors to the ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) charity raised $51 million for children at a gala reception at London’s Greenwich Royal Naval College.

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