(December 23, 2012) In its usual unconventional style, Mini has completed its Christmas mission. The Mini Goes to Santa Claus project has made it possible for Mini to set a Guinness World Records record collecting 75,954 Christmas wishes, the biggest number of wishes ever delivered to Santa Claus.

The delivery directly to the hands of Santa Claus of the longest wish list in the world (3798,5 meters or 12,460 feet) took place on Dec. 5 at the Santa Claus Post Office in Rovaniemi, Finland. The wish list was put together by joining the wishes end-to-end and using a special paper that has a minimal impact on the environment.



A fleet of eight Minis traveled from one end of Europe to the other, heading for the Arctic Circle in order to deliver to Santa Claus the Christmas wishes written by children and adults the world over. To set a Guinness World Records record, Mini got a total of 16 countries involved in the collection of the wishes: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Russia, United States and Singapore.

On Saturday, Nov. 24, the Mini Family departed from the headquarters of the BMW Group in Munich with Rovaniemi as its destination. Along the way, covering more than 3,500 km, the Mini Family passed through some of Europe’s most beautiful cities, such as Copenhagen and Stockholm, where the collection of the wishes continued.

The new Mini Paceman, the seventh model in the Mini family, welcomed the Mini Goes to Santa Claus caravan upon its arrival in Rovaniemi on Dec. 5.

In Rovaniemi the Mini Family was welcomed by a very special guest: Rauno Aaltonen. The Finnish driver showed off his exceptional talent at the wheel of a new Mini Paceman, bringing to life for the international press the Mini Ice Driving Experience. Rauno Aaltonen won the European Rally Championship in 1965 and, thanks to his incomparable driving style and the intelligent choice of tires, he was victorious in the historic 1967 Monte Carlo Rally behind the wheel of a classic Mini. Rauno Aaltonen has also been nicknamed "the Flying Finn" and "the Rally Professor", and he has to his name an incredible number of prizes, awards, and accolades.

In top picture, Maria Conti, spokesperson Mini Italy, receives the Guiness World Record for the longest wish list ever delivered to Santa Claus