By Tim Saunders on
Ferrari’s Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen may be used to life in the fast lane, but things are going to get a whole lot faster thanks to a charity auction held late last week.
The driver paid $315,000 for a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Hollywood actress Sharon Stone at the Amber Fashion Show and Auction in aid of the Elton John AIDS Foundation on Friday night in Monaco.
The gala, held at the Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel, raised over $1.6 million for the charity, and was attended by a “who’s who” of the motor racing world. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Honda’s Jenson Button, Red Bull’s Mark Webber, and Renault’s Nelson Piquet were among drivers modelling a collection designed by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s daughter, and many of them looked like they will have a career in high fashion modelling after their racing days are over.
But it was the auction that raised most people’s eyebrows, with a number of high value items going under the hammer. As well as Stone’s Corvette – which only had 4 miles on the clock – billionaire Vijay Mallya, co-owner of the Force India Formula One team, paid $357,000 for a piano used by Elton John to write his “Songs from the West Coast” album in 2001. Mallya also donated a one-week cruise on his 95-metre “Indian Empress”, one of the largest privately-owned yachts in the world, with that going out the door for $592,000.
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
