Foxtons news

Red double-decker buses, traditional black cabs, Foxtons' eye-catching Minis: in less than a decade, these nifty little cars have become an iconic sight on the streets of London.

Riding the excitement of the 1959 Mini Cooper"s new millennium look, Foxtonsfirst fleet of customised cars hit the road in 2001, sporting "Italian Job" themed livery. With a racing-style digit emblazoned on the door and a green and yellow Union Jack adorning the roof, these innovative automobiles radiated professionalism and personality, while underlining the brand"s coverage of the capital through their unrivalled ubiquity.

This playful vehicle proved such a success that many more have followed, each radical redesign conveying a different message, yet always capturing that same sense of fun. The 2004 "Hippy Mini" evoked the swinging 60s heyday of the original car, while the tartan-crossed "Punk" version celebrated London"s key role in this revolutionary artistic movement. The latest look, however, is a pioneering project in its own right, representing the evolution of its more thematic, brightly coloured predecessors into something slightly edgier.

Perhaps the most sophisticated design to date, the "X-ray Mini" was created in collaboration with one of the UK"s most exciting contemporary artists, Nick Veasey. Tiring with the limits of traditional photography, he imprinted himself on the international art scene using the unlikely medium of a radiography machine, X-raying everything from a pair of Jimmy Choos and a tarantula through to a pig and a Boeing 777. Invited to submit pieces for the Victoria & Albert British Collection of Photography, he finally realised his dream of X-raying a car, choosing to depict a classic Mini with all its inner workings revealed. This proved the perfect precursor to his commission from Foxtons, equipping him with exactly the experience he needed to transform the fleet.

After receiving a former Foxtons Mini at his specially built studio, he promptly set upon it with power tools. "The process begins by cutting the car into manageable sections but BMW makes the Mini in an incredibly complex way," Veasey explains. "It took two weeks to angle grind just one side; on the classic Mini, the job was done in three days. The old cars were much simpler in their construction." While he nostalgically refers to the classic Mini as "one lovely piece of design", the X-ray process illuminates the second generation"s ergonomic curves and high-spec technology.

The arresting new artwork encompasses the entire car, stretching seamlessly across every surface to complete the mesmeric optical illusion. Achieving this stunning transparent finish took over one hundred photos: "The real challenge was ensuring we had X-rayed all the components from every angle, taking different shots to cover each perspective - including the roof." After digitally stitching all these images together to form complete panels, the final artwork was applied to vinyl shapes and then smoothed across the bodywork.

Despite the extra hours' work it entails, Veasey says this project has further fuelled his passion for 3D art. "In my most recent exhibition I fused lightboxes into real objects: half real object, half X-ray light box. My process is fundamentally two-dimensional so seeing the results on a 3D scale is always fascinating," he adds. "In fact, I am keen to experiment with X-ray effects on buildings - I"d like to see through walls."

A photographer who made his name by redefining the parameters of his field, there is definitely a detectable symbiosis in Veasey's relationship with Foxtons: "It's great that Foxtons has such a large fleet of these Minis. Every artist wants to connect with the public and by bringing my art to the streets of London, I can reach out to people rather than trying to get them into a gallery," he reflects. "I do hope it makes people stop and think for a second about how things are made and what goes on under the surface. Beauty, after all, is more than skin deep."

Indeed, beneath its electrifying exterior lie the same values that inspired the initial Foxtons Mini design and have remained at the core of every incarnation since. At their most basic, these vehicles offer a stress-free chauffeur service to whisk potential buyers and tenants from one viewing to the next. Acting as eye-catching billboards while they zip through the streets, they have become integral both to the brand"s identity and today's cityscape. Constantly reaffirming Foxtons' local knowledge and vast geographical scope through their very presence, these quirky characters also communicate a different, dynamic and forward-thinking approach, while raising a few smiles along the way.

This may be the sleekest Foxtons Mini yet, but no matter how diverse the designs, certain external elements endure year after year. Consistent features include each vehicle"s unique three-digit ID number and Foxtons URL, though any such branded elements are usually carefully integrated or subtly shown. On the 2010 Mini"s right-hand door, a small Foxtons logo is displayed on an X-rayed key fob hanging from the ignition. And in the X-rayed chassis, there is even the image of a skeletal driver, cast by a carefully placed radiography dummy.

Design company Bear - who have worked with Foxtons on each of their Mini adventures - recognised that such a cutting-edge artist would be a perfect fit with Foxtons' innovative ethos. The latest car develops the streamlined look of its immediate predecessor, the silver 'Space Mini', communicating professionalism through its pared-down palette and stark, edgy appearance. Finally and perhaps most importantly, the X-ray finish can be interpreted as a statement of transparency; no seller, landlord, buyer or tenant should ever feel left in the dark and all processes should be easy to follow.

Ultimately, however, the decision to commission Nick Veasey was driven by the reaction his intricate and intriguing work was sure to receive. Always a top-secret operation, only a handful of 'need-to-know' employees had seen the new Mini until now. But on first setting eyes on this striking design, the initial response is always the same: "Wow."