It's one thing to write a letter to Santa Claus - even if it does contain the longest wish-list ever, from a record number of children of all ages, all over Europe and around the world - but it's another to set off in convoy to deliver it by hand.
And, while the guys at parent company BMW have certainly got their collective tongue firmly stuck in their corporate cheek, the trip itself is no joke - it's for real.
They’ve involved Mini staffers in Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland,Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America in an attempt to put together the longest wish-list ever delivered to Santa Claus.
RECORD-SETTING CORRESPONDENCE
Having had this record-setting piece of correspondence certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, a convoy of Minis will set off on 24 November from BMW group headquarters in Munich on a 3000km winter delivery run to Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle in Finland, to bring Santa Claus Christmas letters written by children and adults from all over the world.
Along the way they'll pass through some of the most beautiful cities in Northern Europe, such as Copenhagen and Stockholm, and they’ll be met at Rovaniemi by Santa's local representative, former rally driver Rauno Aaltonen, winner of the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally in an original Mini, who'll be showing off his driving skills in his new toy, a Mini Paceman.