During the past 40 years, more than 1.9 million BMW motorcycles have come off the production line at the Berlin plant and to commemorate this milestone, workers at the Berlin-Spandau Plant have just built a motorcycle unlike any other BMW available.

Known as the special edition ‘40 years Plant Berlin’ model, the naked boxer will be auctioned online via the eBay auction platform in order to raise awareness of, and funds for, the internationally acclaimed organization that has been defending children’s rights ever since 1919. Furthermore, top actor and BMW fan Joseph Fiennes has lent his support to this charity project – of which he is the patron. The Shakespeare in Love star, who is currently riding a 173 hp K 1300 R, will personally sign the special edition BMW R 1200 R, as well as sign an autograph card which will be handed over with the motorcycle to its lucky owner.

Save the Children (www.savethechildren.de) is the world's largest independent charitable organization for children, making a difference to children's lives in over 120 countries. It is made up of 29 national organizations with a global staff of more than 14,000. From emergency relief to long-term development, Save the Children helps children to achieve a happy, healthy and secure childhood by securing and protecting their rights to food, shelter, healthcare, education and freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation.

The motorcycle will be put up for auction online on the eBay Stars and Charity (www.ebay.de/starsandcharity ) platform in order to reach as many bidders as possible. Stars and Charity is a renowned and serious site on eBay, where exclusive charity auctions are carried out. The auction of the R 1200 R ‘40 Years Plant Berlin’ special edition will begin online on November 16th and will finish on November 25th. Those who wish to see the motorcycle in person prior to the auction will be pleased to know that it will be also exhibited on the BMW Motorrad stand at the EICMA International Motorcycle Fair in Milan, Italy, from November 10th – 15th.

Offering 109 HP, the R 1200 R ‘40 years Plant Berlin’ edition is a unique BMW boxer that was constructed in Berlin-Spandau especially for this occasion, and many special features have been added to this one-off model compared to the standard series production version. For example, this legendary boxer comes with ABS, chromed exhaust, white indicators, heated grips, on-board computer, a comfort seat, sport windshield, chromed cylinder heads, chromed rear mirrors, Telelever and fork bridge cover caps, spoked wheels, a rear rack and painted silver headlight casing. Additionally, this R 1200 R has a special ‘Mojave brown metallic’ paint color scheme, with white ‘40 Years Berlin’ decals on the tank and side panels.

The proceeds of the auction will directly benefit the ‘Participation in Sight’ (Mitwirkung in Sicht) project, where young teaching professionals train to become so called ‘School coaches’ in order to help primary schools develop methods for violence-free conflict solution, jointly with teachers, parents and pupils. Initiatives have included adding a social competence lesson to the curriculum, and establishing a pupils’ council. The basic idea is that children should be encouraged to become active members of their school from an early age, and 10 primary schools in Germany are currently benefiting from taking part in this project during the current academic school year, including three schools in Berlin.

The R 1200 R can be viewed at eBay Stars and Charity (www.ebay.de/starsandcharity) platform and will be online on November 16th.