MUSIC icon Paul Weller has turned his talents to designing a special one-off edition of the Mini Cooper.

The car, built at the Cowley plant and hand-painted by Mini craftsmen, is finished in bold pink and brown stripes with a single silver line running up the bonnet and over the roof.

It was inspired by colours in a Ben Sherman shirt Mr Weller designed for the clothing brand.Mr Weller, who headlined the Mini’s 50th birthday celebrations at Silverstone in 2009, said: “I’ve always loved Minis, so when I was given the opportunity to design a bespoke Mini Cooper I wanted to create something that reflected the mood and colours associated with the Mod era, which was also the classic Mini’s heyday.”

The car is being auctioned online with the proceeds going to the War Child charity which helps children in war-torn countries and Nordoff Robins, which uses music as therapy for disadvantaged children and adults.

Bidding starts today on the website paulweller-miniauction.com and will run for a month.