Damien Hirst Audi A1 Sells for £350k

Sir Elton John’s White Tie & Tiara Ball held a couple of days ago at the home of Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish has gathered around 700 VIP guests from all over the world, all of them coming to support the annual fundraiser for his AIDS Foundation (EJAF).

As we previously reported, one of the highlights of this event was the auction of a special, one-off Audi A1, spin painted by British artist Damien Hirst. The car, fully driveable and road legal, has managed to fetch £350,000 during the auction.

“Hirst took the new premium compact hatchback and turned it into an extraordinarily vibrant, dramatic and colorful work of art,” Audi says in a statement.

This has been the eighth year Audi has supported EJAF with special auction lots, and this one-off A1 art car has been the most exclusive donation the carmaker has ever made. The A1 will only go on sale in the UK this November, so this means this car has been created even in advance of the vehicle’s mainland European launch dates.

According to the carmaker, the entry level A1 (1.2 TFSI SE 86PS 5-speed manual) will retail for £10,646, while the sportier 1.6 TDI S line 105PS 5-speed manual will sell for as much as £14,348.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation manages over £14 million in programmes across 15 countries supporting thousands of men, women and children with life saving medication, as well as information, nutrition, education, shelter and support. The White Tie & Tiara Ball has been generating some £40 million since its launch in 1993.