MINI gets added sparkle

The project took four US artists six painstaking months to complete, with each hand-crafted jewel being stuck on individually.

Ken and Anne Burkitt, whose firm CrystalArt is responsible for the work, have named the one-off supermini the 'American Icon'. Fifty different shades of crystal were used to make images of famous US symbols. These include the White House, the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore. The roof features the American bald eagle on the Stars and Stripes flag. As you might expect, such a work of art doesn't come cheap: it's been valued at £503,000.