During the last week the Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 has travelled up the eastern seaboard of the United States to Washington DC before looping through Chicago and Ohio and arriving in Detroit, the city most synonymous with the automobile. The two Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano sports car are on the 15th and final stage of the 20,000 mile (32,000 kilometre) journey that will see them reach the finish line in New York on Friday. The cars, driven by teams of journalists, set out on the 84 day journey, from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, on 24th August.

Washington, 8th November 2006 - A worldly day for the team of the Ferrari Panamerican 20,000 in Washington with a morning press conference at the local Ferrari dealer and the presentation of the new 599 GTB Fiorano: this model is presented and launched on the US-American market during the Panamerican 20,000 Tour. Many journalists from international and local news outlets gather at the conference. Later, the team goes for a ride around the city and stops the cars in front of the most important monuments of the US-American capital. In the evening the team members are welcomed in the new Italian embassy, designed by the architect Piero Sartogo - a genuine expression of Italian taste and style. And as usual the guests admire the two Berlinettes - standing next to a 212 from 1953 in perfect conditions. Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta and the president of Ferrari North America Maurizio Parlato underlined how the product Ferrari, admired all over the world, represents the high standard of Italian manufacturing and Italian taste.

Chicago, 10th November 2006 - There's a long road ahead for the team of the Panamerican 20,000. They must drive many kilometres to arrive in Chicago; fortunately they can use the highway. After bidding farewell to the Alcoa employees, the tour sets of for Detroit. First, the highway runs on twisty roads around the Pittsburgh hills, the city of steel. Finally, the road becomes flat and straight again and the roads become like the days before, characterised by leafless woods, farms, fields, houses, silos and chimneys. There are lots of prefabricated houses and trailer parks where many Americans have to live. On the way out of Pennsylvania the tour reaches Ohio in the direction of Indiana. Many police patrols control ensure the speed limit is not violated. The team spots Lake Michigan in the distance long before they arrive in Chicago, Illinois, beset by heavy rain. Once in Chicago, the two Berlinettes experience the first traffic jam on the American continent. Tomorrow they will leave for Detroit. Mo'town gets ready to welcome the two 599 GTB Fiorano.
 

Detroit, 11th November 2006 - Today's first date for the two 599 GTB Fioranos is Racine in the state of Wisconsin for a meeting at the Case plant. Until the 30s, cars were produced in this plant. Later it was converted into a tractor factory, which remains in use. The last cars that left this plant were equipped with Engines from Fiat. As the two Berlinettes from Ferrari arrive, they are immediately surrounded by plant workers and their families. To arrive in Detroit the cars can't use the ferries, as the waters are too choppy today. So the cars drive back to Chicago to have a look at the wide industrial areas and the harbour of Lake Michigan, one of the biggest lakes straddling the Canadian border. While the cars leave Chicago they drive around the lake and enter the state of Michigan - the tour's 22nd boundary. The cars and the team members reach Detroit riding on the highway in the evening while they can still admire the city's wonderful houses.

Detroit, 12th November 2006 - Obviously, the most important city of cars in the world - Detroit - can't be overlooked. So the two Berlinettes from Maranello stopped for a day and drove down to the streets matching the course of the city's erstwhile racetrack. Its protective guardrails can still be seen today, and the signs where the pitlane once lay in addition to the red and white striped curb, albeit the colours are a bit faded. Today everything has changed here, and the racetrack is no more, now replaced with a park with squirrels, gooses, ducks and lots of birds. The two 599 GTB Fiorano later stopped before the skyscrapers, where the Detroit car manufacturers' headquarters are located. The members of the team could also spot the enormous plants and the famous T-Model comes to their mind; the first car ever mass-produced giving way to widespread car ownership. In the city centre the team visited an exhibition of historic military vehicles and watched a ceremony dedicated to US war veterans. The tour also experiences the daily lives of the countries and cities it passes. Tomorrow a meting with the local Ferrari dealer is scheduled, and a press conference the 599 GTB Fiorano will be launched, before the cars leave for Canada - the 16th nation on the American continent crossed by the Panamerican 20,000.