!NEW! Now available on eBay: Opel ADAM designed by Moto GP Champion Rossi

• Valentino Rossi and designer Aldo Drudi creation auctioned for outreach project supported by Opel
• Funds raised will go to the Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation – Meyer O.N.L.U.S. in Florence, Italy

Valentino Rossi and his unique, funky Opel ADAM: The ‘ADAM & Vale for charity’ auction starts today. The funds raised will be donated to the Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation – Meyer O.N.L.U.S in Florence, Italy.

A small car for a great cause. Today (17 December) the ‘Opel ADAM & Vale for charity’ auction is launched on eBay. The funds raised in the auction will be donated to the Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation – Meyer O.N.L.U.S. in Florence. The unique and funky car was completed in three months by Opel brand ambassador Valentino “Vale” Rossi and star designer Aldo Drudi. Aldo Drudi redesigned the livery and interior that is now fitted with Dainese leather. Just as visible is the creative influence of Valentino Rossi. The star of the Moto GP championship, who is also known by his nickname “The Doctor”, has added his own personal touches to the individualization champion with numerous ideas. Therefore, for example, Rossi’s racing number 46 in neon colors adorns the exterior while his own signature is written across the hood.

Valentino Rossi signed Opel ADAM hood

Valentino Rossi is excited to be part of the project: “I am very happy that the car has turned out so well and I hope to be able to participate in further projects: Together we can do a lot to support the children’s hospital foundation Meyer O.N.L.U.S.” says Rossi.

Valentino Rossi in his unique, funky Opel ADAM

The Meyer O.N.L.U.S children’s hospital offers a distinct approach that focuses on the child and his/her wellbeing and at the same time places emphasis on a number of activities that ensure the quality of the child’s stay in hospital and that of the family. The hospital warmly welcomes the ‘Opel ADAM & Vale for Charity’ initiative – Tommaso Langiano, Director General of the University Hospital Meyer and President of the Meyer Foundation says: “Opel together with Valentino Rossi and Aldo Drudi have shown us an act of generosity for which we express our heartfelt gratitude. The funds will be used for the activities of our games room, where children can play, participate in lessons and learn to read with the help of professional educators.”

To bid for the ‘ADAM & Vale for charity’ model please go to http://www.meyer.it/adam46/ To view funds raised or for more information on the Meyer O.N.L.U.S. children’s hospital, please see: http://www.meyer.it/

!NEW! Special Edition Opel ADAM by Valentino Rossi and Aldo Drudi

• Exclusive Opel ADAM re-invented by MotoGP champion Rossi together with designer Drudi
• The car will be donated to the not-for-profit Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation

Piece of art: Opel ADAM designed by MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi together with Aldo Drudi.

‘ADAM & Vale for Charity’, a fully customized version of Opel’s small city car is the result of Valentino Rossi’s creativity combined with the experience and expertise of Aldo Drudi, a designer who has been collaborating with Valentino for years. The champion pair has developed an original and unique project to support a charity initiative sponsored by Opel: the Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation. The car will be put up for auction during a fund-raising event next December, organized by the Foundation to support the activities of the Meyer Hospital.

Handcrafted: Aldo Drudi sketched the ADAM as wild and colorful like the helmets and leather garments he usually designs for bikers like Valentino Rossi.

‘Customizable from roof to wheels’: Opel ADAM has channeled the creative energy of Valentino Rossi and Drudi, who have redesigned it not only drawing their inspiration from the Champion’s graphic universe (such as Valentino’s most widely known fetish images and the symbols most treasured by him) but intentionally reversing its image. For three months, a team of four people directed by Drudi worked to completely redesign the car livery, while Dainese leather was used for the interior trim.

“We’ve worked together as a real team; everyone has contributed not only his or her own expertise and ideas, but also true, enthusiastic support for a project that immediately appealed to Valentino and Drudi” – said Roberto Matteucci, Managing Director of Opel Italy.

Genuine leather: Opel ADAM with seats like biker suits designed by Italian specialist Dainese.

The Meyer Children’s Hospital is an example of Italian excellence in the public healthcare sector: it boasts an innovative approach centered on the young patient and his/her well-being and is aimed also at improving the quality of hospital stay for the patient’s family. Besides high-quality pediatric specialty care and scientific research activities, the hospital offers a whole range of medical and hospital activities which are all creatively integrated with games and playfulness.

The Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation supports the hospital in carrying out scientific research work and excellence health projects with continuous upgrades of technological equipment. And that’s not all: it invests in facilities to welcome children and make the hospital environment more comfortable for them while supporting their families.

“How could I resist the challenge?” commented Valentino Rossi. “The task was to invent a completely new car, and for a good cause. No sooner had I spoken with Opel than I was already discussing with Drudi how to design this special ADAM.” “To tell the truth, the design phase took a very long time” – added Aldo Drudi – “It took us hours of hard work, but then you know Valentino, he is hard to please. And so am I. Scores of drawings were produced, phone calls were made and every time we decided to change everything and started all over again. In other words, it was exhausting but it was worth the effort.”

“The car has turned out beautifully and we’re happy that it will be used to support the Meyer Hospital. We hope that this choice fires up everybody with the same enthusiasm we feel, because we can accomplish a lot together”, they concluded.

Special sports star: Opel ‘ADAM & Vale for Charity’ with painted aluminum wheels that would also fit with the racing bike of Valentino Rossi.

To complement the charity auction organized by the Foundation and scheduled for next December, Opel is promoting a further fundraising initiative: supporting the activities of the Florence Children’s Hospital by visiting the www.ioaiutoilmeyer.it website. Here, you can easily make a direct donation.

The ‘ADAM & Vale for Charity’ car will be on display at EICMA, the international motorcycle exhibition – in Hall 14 Booth I/16 – for the duration of the show (until November 10th). Afterwards, it will be on display in the Milan ADAM Store, Corso Garibaldi, 19.