Audi Studio Grand Piano

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When it comes to creating things that look great and cost a lot of money, Audi certainly has their share of experience. I’m not saying I don’t drool over their cars, but in this economic environment most of us are happy just to own a picture of one let alone the real deal. So what happens when a set of German auto designers decides that they want to create a grand piano in the vein of a sleek racing sedan? First, most people ask why. Didn’t we get enough of this ridiculousness with the Lamborghini laptop? Then they actually hook up with a piano manufacturer and do it. The result, an outrageously expensive piece of musical art that will probably be purchased by someone that can’t even play piano.

The Audi-Inspired Grand Piano is the lovechild of Audi designers and Austrian piano manufacturer Bosendorfer. With its sleek lines and minimalist appearance, the thing screams German design. Cloaked in black and metal it would seem more at home in a museum of architectural design rather than Carnegie Hall. The top of the piano seems to fall down to the ground like a sheet of black silk. The lines are clearly car-inspired and the shine in the paint is mirror-deep. Even the bench looks like it was torn out of an Audi A8, leather and all.

If you need a really pretentious quote from a German designer, “Generous surface areas ensure formal clarity; there are no decorative applications, the edges and lines are sharply drawn, the joints logically positioned. All these are important aspects of the Audi design,” says Designer Philip Schlesinger, who implemented the project at the Concept Design Studio in Munich. The Audi Grand Piano, like most art, lacks reason for its creation and logic behind its price tag. The piano is priced at 100,000EUR (about $140,000) and will make its debut on July 16 in the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, in celebration of Audi’s 100th anniversary. Get your checkbook ready.