BMW launches i3 inspired by Mr Benn

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first showing of Mr Benn on BBC television, BMW has launched a limited edition BMW i3.

"Inspired by timeless style and enriched contemporary features, the BMW design team and Mr Benn have combined their expertise to create a sleek and sophisticated car with a very unique aesthetic", said a press release. Probably.

The first episode of Mr Benn - entitled Red Knight - was first broadcast on 25 February 1971, and the man in a bowler hat soon became one of Britain's best loved characters. The premise was simple: Mr Benn would wander into the changing rooms of a fancy dress shop to try on a costume. He would then walk through a magic door to embark on a great adventure, inspired by his choice of fancy dress.

Now, 45 years later, BMW is inviting motorists to walk into a showroom, before emerging with a new, special edition i3 Mr Benn electric car. BMW is making a limited number available in the UK, each one priced at £43,500. Orders can be placed from 18 February 2016.

Each car comes with an exclusive Mr Benn Essentials Travel Kit that consists of a bowler hat and a black suit, along with an umbrella and a bespoke fancy dress costume. Customers will be able to choose from a range of outfits, including cowboy, frogman, zookeeper, spaceman, cook and wizard.



The BMW i3 Mr Benn was unveiled at a lavish party in the garden of number 52, Festive Road, where - as if by magic - a shopkeeper emerged to say the following: "I'm delighted BMW has chosen to mark this special occasion with the launch of a special edition i3. I doff my fez to the effortless merging of sustainable motoring and classic British culture. At least that's what it says here."

Reminiscent of the suit worn by Mr Benn, the limited edition BMW i3 comes with an elegant exterior in tuxedo black, specially developed for this version. There's also a 'magic door' at the back of the i3, although unlike the door at the back of the fancy dress shop, it merely opens to reveal 260 litres of luggage capacity, and not a magical adventure.

In other news, BMW has launched an i3 inspired by Mr Porter. Whoever he is.