2011 MINI Cooper Countryman

YEAR: 2011 
MODEL: MINI Cooper Countryman (R60)
VIN: #WM10609
ENGINE: Turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 16-valve inline-4
CURB WEIGHT: 3,220 LBS.
TOP SPEED: 131 MPH
PRICE WHEN NEW: Auctioned for Charity
BUILD DATE: June 23, 2011
COLOR: KISS Starchild (Originally White)
OWNERS: Greg Shue
LOCATION: Mount Holly, North Carolina
NICKNAME: Starchild

This is the Starchild KISS MINI Cooper Countryman. It was unveiled at the New York Auto Show in April 2011 with the members of the band helping with the introduction.

The way the KISS MINI came to be was in a campaign called MINI Rocks The Rivals, a competitive test-drive tour in the US. MINI partnered with the legendary rock band KISS to raise money for UNICEF to help children around from the Japan earthquake and tsunami. There were four cars each representing one of the band members’ iconic face makeup. All four cars were signed by the band members on the mirrors after the custom paint was applied.

In 2011, Dan Doot was the Technical Service Manager for the BMW Performance Center. Dan and a select few painted the four cars in the evenings and weekends for this project.. The cars were listed on eBay’s Charity Auctions on Father’s Day 2011. Combined, all four cars brought in $130,000 for UNICEF. 

Greg purchased the car in 2020. It was initially purchased by the Honorable Senior Superior Court Judge Douglas Parsons in North Carolina. Greg was able to purchase the car after Judge Parsons unexpected passing. 

From Greg: “I own it because I am a lifelong KISS fan. It is a fun car to drive, and I can see why MINI has such a loyal following. Honestly, it is more of a show piece.  We don’t drive it much, just enough to pump the oil through its veins and keep everything lubricated. Currently the car has only 2,400 miles and spends much of its life nestled in the garage.”