Ferrari, the world's most reputed name in motorsport, is set to unveil arguably its biggest ever display outside of Italy. The stunning selection of 18 Ferraris, some of which have never been seen before in the United Kingdom, will be at the premier motorsport show Autosport International 2004, 8-11 January at the NEC, Birmingham. 

The most exotic array of Ferrari cars, worth in excess of £25million, will be on display at the Autosport International show, courtesy of Galleria Ferrari – the Official Ferrari Museum from Maranello. The unbelievable line-up of Ferraris, made up of nine racing and nine awesome road going cars, will tell the history of the company right to the present day, and celebrate the fact that they have raced continuously since 1947.

At the show, Michael Schumacher's F1 World Championship cars from 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 will take pride of place.

But to understand Ferrari, you have to understand the company's devotion to innovation and search for perfection: the continuous technological transfer from Formula One cars to the Grand Tourers which will be waiting for visitors to see. For example, the 250 GTO. Created by a team led by Giotto Bizzarrini this car summed up the Ferrari philosophy with the highest levels of performance and styling. It was driven, among others, by Graham Hill to numerous victories.

Also on display will be the F50 created to celebrate Ferrari's 50^th anniversary in 1995, the closest thing to a road going Formula One car the company had ever built. The 4.7-litre engine was derived directly from the Formula One unit used on the 1989 F1-89. Turning the clock back a decade will be the F40, built to celebrate their 40^th anniversary.

The 360GT will also be on display, derived from the Challenge car for privateers in sportscar racing, production was limited to just 30 cars. Unveiled at the Paris Show in 2000 was the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina built to commemorate their 70^th anniversary. A strictly limited edition of just 448 numbered cars were built with the last leaving the factory in December 2001. Maximum power is 485bhp at 7000 rpm.

The F333 SP marked Ferrari's return to what was once known as sports-prototype racing. The powerful V12 engine and the sophisticated chassis allowed the car to enjoy a long career notching up success on racing circuits all around the world. A special version of the engine was developed for endurance racing with revs limited to 10,500.

But it doesn't end there. This once-in-a-lifetime line up will also include the current ultimate road car Ferrari, the Enzo, plus the award winning Challenge Stradale, the 550 Barchetta and many more.

Commenting on this unique feature, Gavin Brown, Managing Director of Haymarket Exhibitions Ltd said: “This is one of the biggest and most significant displays ever to hit Autosport International and, presented by Galleria Ferrari, it promises to be the best feature yet. We are privileged to be hosting this truly unique showcase at the biggest motorsport show, which will include some of the most beautiful racing and road cars in the world. Anyone with a pulse cannot fail to find this mouth-watering selection of cars exciting."