Dakar-winning MINI buggy sells for €368k

Bonhams Auctions has found a new owner for a unique MINI X-Raid buggy built for the Dakar Rally series eight years ago. The bidding reached a cool €368,000.

Co-designed between BMW and X-Raid under a partnership agreement, the sports car received a tubular frame with independent suspension and MINI-style carbon/Kevlar bodywork. A 3.0-liter BMW diesel under the hood was tuned to deliver 370 PS (365 hp / 272 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque to the four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.

The buggy had its Dakar debut in 2018 and finished 19th. It won a race in Dubai next year and scored bronze in Dakar in 2020 piloted by Stéphane Peterhansel. A year after that, it finally won the championship with 9 out of 12 stage victories.

Aside from Dakar, the MINI X-Raid participated in the Rallye du Maroc (Rally of Morocco). It still has an FIA passport, which means whoever bought it got a ticket into the big motorsports.