Mini is rolling out the Rolls-Royce version of its famous little car for the Shanghai auto show.  It's called the Mini Inspired by Goodwood, named for the town in England that's home to snooty corporate stablemate, the Rolls-Royce. It's the super-lux Mini:  Close collaboration with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars design team at the development center of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, has produced a limited-run special edition Mini, whose exterior and interior design is inspired by fine materials and the British luxury car marque's commitment to absolutely flawless workmanship.  Harrumph. If your nose isn't high enough in the air at this point, read on. The car "combines typical Mini driving fun with discerning craftsmanship, select materials and a styling marked by typical British understatement of the world's leading producer of luxury automobiles."  Only 1,000 will be made and the cars will be delivered a year from now. How did it get the Rolls-Royce feel?  The Mini will be done in the luxury car's "corn silk" interior colors with black accents. The dashboard and door handles will be finished in walnut. The letters and numbers on the speedometer will be done in the same typeface used on a Rolls.  Outside, the car will have the same shade of black as a Rolls.  The car is powered by the same turbocharged 181-horsepower, l.6-liter four-cylinder engine that was featured for the first time in the 2011 Mini Cooper S.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Mini unveils oh-so-snooty Rolls-Royce edition - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com