Ferrari, who are celebrating their 'home' motor show by giving the new 599 GTB Fiorano its Italian debut, were introduced to the media at the official press conference last week by Sales Director Raffaele Fusilli. On a spacious stand in Bologna the single red 599 GTB Fiorano sports car on show is surrounded by a mix of the brand's highly successful road and racing cars.

The F430, in both Coupé and Spider format, and 612 Scaglietti, are joined on the stand by the obligatory F1 machine and a bright-yellow example of the F430 Challenge which is used in the Trofeo Pirelli series, one of the three Ferrari Challenge championships worldwide dedicated to the brand's customers who wish to race their cars. In line with the Bologna Motor Show's motor sports leaning Fusilli was keen to tie in Ferrari's sporting achievements and he pointed out the successful introduction this year of the new Ferrari F430 Challenge racer which has taken the worldwide Challenge series' by storm, as well as highlighting the 360 Modena which participated in its final year of track action.

"This is the first time we show the 599 GTB in Italy, at the Bologna Motor Show, so it's very important for us to be here with our new 12-cylinder, 620 horsepower car, which achieves more than 330 km/h," Fusilli told Italiaspeed after the press conference, focusing on the importance of the 599 GTB Fiorano. "What I want to underline also is that we have just had a very important event in South, Central and Northern America called the Panamerican tour, which put the 599 under very great pressure in terms of effort and commitment. The car made 30,000 kilometres in 84 days passing through 16 countries. A very big effort but a real proof of the ability of this car.
 

"I also stress the product range which is on show on the stand; and what we do for our customer, to make our customer part of the family or the Ferrari 'clan', the experience that links the customer to the company," he adds, turning to Ferrari's large and varied sporting programme.

"For example, for the guys who are keen about racing we organise the Ferrari Challenge division, for customers to race in the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Shell," he continues. "For the customers who want to run historical cars we run a historical racing competition; and for the people who want to just improve their driving abilities we have a programme to allow our clients to reach the maximum level of their car's performance without loosing the total security; our test drivers teach the customer on the track how to use their cars.

"In term of road and track experience we also organise the Ferrari Days where our customers can spend one day together and with us, experiencing their cars on the most important tracks in the world, for example Shanghai, the Nürburgring, Fiorano and Silverstone," concludes Fusilli in Bologna.