During the opening week of this month the two Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano sportscars taking part in the Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 have crossed through Argentina and Chile and have now arrived in Bolivia. The journey - which started at Belo Horizonte in Brazil late last month - is seeing two Ferrari 599 Fioranos travelling over 32,000 km (20,000 miles), with journalists from around the world behind the wheel on alternate stages.

Saenz Pena, 31st August - The expedition today entered Argentina. The route taken by the cars began in Posadas and ended in the town of Saenz Pena. The scenery through which the expedition travelled is typical of Argentina: flat with scrub vegetation. Meeting other people here is rare and the convoy encountered only a few Gauchos intent on raising their cattle. The 599 GTB Fioranos arrived in Saenz Pena in late afternoon, giving the mechanics enough time to remove the fine dust particles that had built up on the car.

Salta, 1st September - The tour vehicles covered some 400km today, the distance that separates Saenz Pena from Salta. Salta is a colonial city in the south of the country. The totally straight road crosses the Pampa dell'Inferno and was negotiated by the 599 GTB Fioranos at top speed. The journalists behind the wheel focused on evaluating the car rather than enjoying the scenery

The countryside around them offered only the site of cattle grazing on a otherwise featureless horizon. On the final section, the cars climbed to Salta, situated at an altitude of 1187 metres. The expedition made a stop at the village of Campo Santo, a place where the oldest fazenda (constructed in 1715) in Argentina can be found. The fazenda still functions as the traditional family centre for the production of tobacco, coffee and sugar. In the evening, the caravan pulled into Salta, set in the hills between the Pampa and the high desert plains.

San Pedro de Atacama, 2nd September - The last leg of the Argentinean stage saw the cars heading towards San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. The tour vehicles climbed to a maximum altitude of 4850 metres before descending to 2436 metres. The 599 GTB Fioranos entered the desert area and, as expected, the terrain was without vegetation and salt flats were the only feature distracting the drivers from the soaring peaks of the Andes. The mountain range was the perfect backdrop to the sunset as the setting sun appeared to rest on the rock, resulting in an amazing play of light and shade.
 

The Ferrari crews had no problems in getting through the two customs points and they arrived in the city late in the day. San Pedro is a small urban conglomeration constructed around a main piazza and church. With its trodden earth streets, the city has been transformed into a tourist attraction in order to preserve the elements typical of the Chilean Andes.

San Pedro de Atacama, 3rd September - The rest day at San Pedro allowed the Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 journalist crews to take in the city's great natural beauty. San Pedro is a very good base from which to strike for Valle della Luna and the Valle della Morte, the enormous salt plains that give off a bright white light. After a visit to the geysers that spurt hot water from dawn until dusk, the expedition left for Calama. On the way, it passed the Gran Salar de Atacama where red is the dominant colour and the sunsets are memorable.

Calama, 4th September - A quiet day for the 599 GTB Fioranos as they covered only 100 kilometres to reach Calama. Though the distance was a short one, the work to bring the photographic and video session to a close called for a lot of effort. However, it was worth it as the images captured the vehicles against the Andean mountains. The Panamerican team then took care of the Maranello berlinettas and gave them a thorough clean after two dusty days.

Uyuni, 5th September - The Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 tour restarted early this morning. At 8.30 the 599 GTB Fioranos left Calama for Uyuni. The expedition crossed the immense Salar, populated by pink flamingos. The crews were surrounded by 3,000 metre high mountains and volcano craters. The sparse Andean fauna gave the area a spooky feel. Having crossed into Bolivian territory, the plant life became a more common sight. The greenery was not lush but there was enough of it to suggest that life is possible here, despite the cold. The uneven road surface meant that the convoy travelled slowly for over 300 kilometres before reaching Uyuni in the middle of the night.