Ferrari is attending the 2007 North American International Auto
Show with the vehicles on display: the 599 GTB Fiorano, the
612 Scaglietti and the F430 GT. Ferrari's booth is located
on Stand 5 in Oakland Hall, the traditional home of the
Prancing Horse at the Detroit Motor Show.
The company, which on January 28th will start the
celebration of its 60th anniversary with a worldwide event
that will involve the Ferrari owners with their cars of
different ages and models and clients,
performed a considerable year, continuing the positive trend
of 2005. In 2006, Ferrari delivered 5658 cars to final
customers, with a 5 percent increase on 2005. Accordingly, revenues
and trading profit are expected to slightly increase
compared to 2005. In 2006, Fiat raised to 85 percent its interest
in Ferrari S.p.A. Mubadala Development Company, the Abu
Dhabi investment fund, still keeps 5 percent stake, while Piero
Ferrari holds 10 pct.
The 599 GTB Fiorano is the most eagerly awaited model on the
Ferrari stand at Detroit, following on the great success of
the Panamerican 20,000, which ended up in New York on
November 17th, after a gruelling 84 day tour, 16 country trek
from Brazil to the United States. This trek was a great
demonstration of the capability and reliability of the 599
GTB Fiorano on some of the most challenging roads in the
Americas.
The 599 GTB Fiorano boasts absolutely blistering performance
with its Enzo Ferrari-derived 5,999 cm3 V12 engine which
punches out 611 hp at 7600 rpm. Boasting a power-weight
ratio of under 6.1 lbs/hp, a stunning Pininfarina-designed
body and an all-aluminium spaceframe developed in
collaboration with Alcoa, the 599 GTB Fiorano offers a range
of cutting-edge innovations which provide absolutely
superior driving pleasure, handling and sportiness. The 599
GTB roars from 0 to 62 mph in an astonishing 3.7 seconds and
from 0 to 124 mph in just 11 seconds with a top speed in
excess of 205 mph. Courtesy of the ongoing technology
transfer from Formula 1 to Ferrari's road cars, the 599 GTB
Fiorano is equipped with two features that have proved
enormously popular with its Formula 1 drivers: the
F1-SuperFast gearbox which offers gear shifting in 100
milliseconds, and F1-Trac which optimizes traction. Both
features make their road car debut on this model. The 599 GTB Fiorano also boasts other features which that help
ensure superior standards of usability, ergonomics and
safety engineering: the SCM (magnetorheological fluid
suspension system), developed in collaboration with Delphi,
which provides improved bump absorption and body control, an
enhanced manettino vehicle dynamics control switch, and a
wind tunnel-honed body that delivers more downforce with
increasing speed.
Confirming its international recognition, the 599 GTB
Fiorano has garnered very important awards from two of the
most respected British automotive magazines like Evo ("2006 Evo Car of
the Year") and Top Gear ("2006 Top Gear Supercar of the
Year"). Moreover, Classicdriver.com, one of the most
important European automotive/lifestyle web sites, awarded
the 599 GTB Fiorano "Car of the Year 2006". In the United
States, Edmunds.com voted the car "Editors Most Wanted
Exotic".
The 612 Scaglietti on display is equipped with the optional
"Handling GTC" pack, targeted at customers who desire a more
dynamic handling. The package includes, among other things,
a braking system with carbon-ceramic discs (CCM),
ball-polished modular wheels and highly-advanced F1 gear
change software and a sport exhaust system.
Like all of Ferrari's road cars, the uniqueness and
distinctiveness of the 599 GTB Fiorano can be further
enhanced with the Carrozzeria Scaglietti personalization
program which for 2007 offers additional new options. The
entire range of cars is compatible, for example, with iPod
connectivity via the radio-CD player. The 8-cylinder range
is now also available with a two-tone Alcantara and leather
interior as well as ball-polished Challenge wheel rims. The
entire Ferrari range can also be treated with an anti-stone
chipping protective coating. The Carrozzeria Scaglietti
Personalization Program is divided into four distinct areas:
Racing and Track, Exteriors and Colours, Interiors and
Materials, Equipment and Travel. The program was introduced
in 1997 to allow owners to personalize their car to suit
their own specific taste and requirements, making each one a
genuinely unique vehicle. Since last year, all Ferraris
built have included at least some personalization features.
Clients may also make non-catalogue special requests which
the company will endeavour to meet in the spirit of the work
done by Sergio Scaglietti with Ferrari in its earliest days.
To preserve the unique heritage of the Prancing Horse's
surviving classic cars, Ferrari created Ferrari Classiche, a
new division providing historic car owners with maintenance,
restoration, technical assistance and authenticity
certification services.
Ferrari's Marque development is also progressing apace,
thanks both to new licensing contracts (Panerai for luxury
watches, Marcolin for eyewear, Microsoft and Sony for video
games) and to the excellent performance of existing ones.
The company's retail plan continues to globally expand with
a significant series of openings in 2007: at the beginning
of the year, a new Ferrari store will be inaugurated in
Beijing, followed by the Los Angeles boutique, set to open
at the Beverly Centre.
Ferrari in North America
2006 was the 14th consecutive year of increasing sales for
Ferrari North America ending with 1,635 units retailed. This
represents a 5.5% increase versus 2005.
North America is the most important market for Ferrari,
representing approximately 30% of the marque's worldwide
sales.
The Ferrari dealer network is comprised of 36 dealers (32 in
the United States, four in Canada) in North America. Ferrari
is represented by one authorized dealer in metro Detroit;
Cauley Ferrari in West Bloomfield.
Ferrari North America Inc., located in Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey, is headed by Maurizio Parlato, President and CEO,
now in his fifth year at the helm of Ferrari's largest
market worldwide.
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The
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti on display in Detroit this
week (above) is equipped with the optional
"Handling GTC" pack, which is targeted at customers who
desire a more dynamic handling. Photo: MSN Autos. |
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The
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is the most eagerly awaited model on the
Ferrari stand at Detroit (above), following on the great success of
the Panamerican 20,000, which ended up in New York on
November 17th, after a gruelling 84 day tour, 16 country
trek from Brazil to the United States. Photo: MSN
Autos. |
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Ferrari
is attending the 2007 North American International Auto
Show in Detroit this week with three of its vehicles on display: the 599 GTB
Fiorano, the 612 Scaglietti, with GTC Handling Pack,
and the ALMS race winning F430 GT. |
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Ferrari North
America is the sole importer and distributor of Ferrari
sports cars in North America and is responsible for all
organization and operating requirements for the marque in
the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central and South
America, including the technical training and spare parts
service. Ferrari North America has a retail facility on the
West Coast of the United States; Ferrari of San Francisco
and a corporate showroom located at 410 Park Avenue in New
York City. "It is not only great products which have made
North America Ferrari's most successful market. It is also
the passion of our clients, the innovation in our marketing
platform that we have implemented as an organization and the
professionalism of our North American dealer network which
has invested more than US$80 million in facilities over the
last five years" said Maurizio Parlato commenting on Ferrari
North America's performance.
Ferrari in Central and South America
In order to strengthen and consolidate Ferrari's presence in
Central and South America, Ferrari S.p.A. has given
responsibility to Ferrari North America for countries in
this region effective January 1st, 2006. Mexico and Brazil
are the key emerging markets in this area. With a total of
nine dealers in the region, Ferrari is represented at three
outlets in Mexico including Mexico City, Guadalajara and
Monterey. In Brazil, there is an authorized dealer in Sao
Paolo. Additional dealerships can be found in Buenos Aires,
Argentina and Santiago, Chile. In 2006 this region was
responsible for approximately 115 sales, compared to
approximately 100 in 2005. This consolidation is expected to
strengthen the network and improve customer satisfaction in
these important emerging markets.
Ferrari in the American Le Mans Series
Ferrari wishes to congratulate Risi Competizione for winning
the 2006 American Le Mans Series Team Championship. The
combined efforts of Ferrari North America dealers Giuseppi
Risi of Ferrari of Houston, Remo Ferri of Remo Ferri
Competizione, Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo of
Ferrari of Silicon Valley led to this historic victory at
Laguna Seca in last October. Facing stiff competition from
Porsche during the season, the team captured seven poles,
six fastest laps and won four races.
The F430 GT runs in the GT2 class and it is derived from the
road-going berlinetta which has proved an excellent starting
point for the "racing" project. It also secured for Ferrari
the 2006 FIA Constructors Cup in the category thanks to the
results obtained by the private teams that entered the F430
GT with noteworthy victories such as that in the
Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours in Belgium.
The Ferrari Challenge
Ferrari wishes to congratulate 2006 champion Emmanuel
Anassis for his third consecutive championship in the North
American Ferrari Challenge Series. 2006 was one of the most
successful year yet for the Ferrari Challenge with an
average of 28 competitors filling the grid for each race.
2007 will mark the 14th consecutive year of the Ferrari
Challenge in North America. This series has established
itself as one of the most respected and professional
Gentleman's Racing Series in the world of automobile
competition.
In 2007, the F430 Challenge will replace the 360 Challenge
with which it ran concurrently in 2006. The 8-cylinder
berlinetta-derived F430 Challenge competition car retains
the same general look and 479 hp engine as the road going
version while incorporating a large number of significant
track-oriented modifications and a host of new features not
seen in the 360 Challenge car.
In 2007 the Ferrari Challenge racing series in North America
will see six events scheduled throughout the year and a
final event hosted in Italy in October to wrap up the season
with two days of racing with participants from all over the
world. The provisional North American calendar will kick-off
with the first race at the Homestead Miami Speedway in
March. Races will follow at Infineon Raceway in Northern
California in April, in Montreal in support of the Formula
One race in early June, and at Mt. Tremblant, Canada in late
June. Two additional race venues will be announced soon.
For the 11th consecutive season, in 2007 the Shell Historic
Challenge will see historic Ferrari and Maserati racing cars
at some of the most prestigious American and Canadian
racetracks. There are five events scheduled for 2007, four
of them concurrent with Challenge races. The final schedule
will be announced soon.
The Ferrari Driving Experience
For the first time ever, the Ferrari factory has authorized
a driving school outside of Italy. Located at the scenic Mt.
Tremblant race track in Quebec, students learn techniques to
help control and enjoy their cars at the limit of their
ability in an environment where safety is always the top
priority. This course is modelled on the Ferrari S.p.A.
driving course which focuses on proper driving skills and
gives owners the opportunity to experience the full
capability of their cars on a closed circuit. The school
runs from May until September and is limited to owners of
Ferrari cars. Reservations can be made through Ferrari North
America or through an authorized Ferrari dealer. The dates
and costs of the school can be found at
www.experienceferrari.com. The North America Driving School
offeres instruction corresponding to "Pilota Ferrari"
courses which take place at the Fiorano track in Maranello,
Italy. For over ten years Ferrari S.p.A. has organized a
series of different driving courses offering a progressive
series of steps leading up to a true racing course, which is
only offered in Italy.
Certified Pre-Owned Program
To provide peace of mind and reassurance to owners of both
new and pre-owned Ferrari sports cars, Power Service
Contracts are exclusively available from authorized Ferrari
dealers. Available in three different packages, the Power
Service Contracts will cover selected components on vehicles
up to ten years old. In 2005, the security of the Power
Service Contract contributed to an almost 30% increase in
sales of pre-owned Ferrari sports cars at authorized
dealers.
Ferrari North America Marketing Initiatives
Ferrari North America organizes a number of special events
and rallies each year to give Ferrari owners the opportunity
to share the passion of driving their special automobiles.
Ferrari North America takes special efforts to maintain
close contact with its clients. Rosso Magazine and Rosso
Online are complimentary publications reaching out to the
extended Ferrari family with the latest information on new
products, racing activities, customer profiles and partner
activities. Additionally, Ferrari clients can avail
themselves of a Concierge Service that allows them to
reserve spots in rallies, book VIP passes for Ferrari
Challenge weekends, enrol in the driving school, arrange
factory tours and RSVP for special events.
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