The Ferrari team members yesterday enjoyed the final day of the Brazilian section of the Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 tour. The day began at eight in the morning from the beautiful city of Curitiba. The destination was Foz du Iguaçu, famous for its stunning waterfalls. They are the widest in the world at some two kilometres in width. The other characteristic of this city is that it is situated right on the border of Argentina and Paraguay.

The Panamerican 20,000 had reached the large and wonderful city of Curitiba on Monday. The city is one of the richest in Brazil where well-being, cleanliness and excellent public services assure the population a superb standard of living. The route did not present any particular problems. The scenery was spectacular as the road that links the two cities winds through a dense forest of banana plantations and the climate here is subtropical.

The convoy had arrived in the Curitiba to be greeted by the unusual sight of rain and fog. However, this did not prevent the 599s from sampling the famous 'Gracious Road'. The highway is considered by the locals to be one of the most scenic in Brazil. It is thirty kilometres of paving stones, breathtaking curves and lush vegetation. Using the road is like negotiating the driveway to a grand villa rather than the main thoroughfare which it is.
 

After Wednesday's cold and rain, the sun shone splendidly this yesterday as the convoy headed for Foz du Iguaçu. The clear skies meant that the cars proceeded in pleasant temperatures though there were big differences between the day and the night-time temperatures. The chilly climate meant that the team wore heavy clothing in the early hours of the day. Yesterday's route was ideal for exploiting the 620 bhp of the 599 GTB Fioranos.

The Maranello built berlinettas were perfectly at home on the ups and downs of this hilly region of Brazil. The excellent road surface, long straights and enjoyable curves meant that the journalists got the most out of the drive. The two 599 GTB Fioranos often cruised at over 140km/h through scenery that recalled Tuscany. The first stage of the Panamerican 20,000 concluded in the evening. Today the crews will enter Argentina with the ultimate destination being Calama, in Chile. The programmed arrival date is Monday 4 September.