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This year marks the fifth
anniversary of Ferrari’s
presence in China.
During this time Ferrari
has witnessed,
first-hand, the epic
changes that have
transformed East Asia
and to commemorate the
occasion, Ferrari has
partnered with a
prominent contemporary
Chinese artist, Lu Hao,
to create the unique
Ferrari 599 China.
Ferrari has created a
unique artistic piece,
with the exterior
entirely hand painted to
reproduce the subtle
color and unique cracked
pot pattern typical of
ancient Chinese pottery
coupled with several
precious and unique
interior elements, such
as the Jade start button
and the gold coloured
rev counter with ancient
Chinese ideograms. This
one of a kind vehicle
brings together Chinese
artistic heritage with
Italian craftsmanship
and Italian industrial
design, creating a
perfect blend of
automotive technology
and Chinese art that
will make it one of the
most appealing cars for
collectors worldwide.
For this creation,
Ferrari has chosen to
involve contemporary
Chinese artist Lu Hao,
who has followed his
distinctive artistic
vision to become one of
China’s most famous and
most influential
contemporary artists.
For this project he drew
inspiration from China’s
ancient literary
traditions, the unique
Ge Kiln porcelain, and
the fabled Silk Road,
creating his own unique
interpretation of
China’s majestic
traditional culture. This unique artistic
masterpiece, blending
the cutting edge
technology of the 599
GTB Fiorano HGTE with
traditional Chinese
design elements, will be
auctioned off for
charity during an
exclusive event in
Beijing on November the
3rd 2009 that will be
open to select art
collectors and Ferrari
friends.
Part of the proceeds
from the charity auction
to be held at the car’s
unveiling will benefit
an educational
sponsorship program
targeted at Chinese
students. Details of the
program will be released
at the auction gala
dinner party. The event
complements some of
Ferrari’s ongoing CSR
initiatives, such as its
partnerships with the
Soong Ching Ling
Foundation and the
Jet-Li One Foundation.
Over the past five
years, the speed and
passion associated with
the Ferrari brand has
won the hearts of
Chinese customers, and
Ferrari has been no less
passionate about its
social responsibilities.
By giving back to the
community, Ferrari wants
to foster a spirit of
compassion while
continuing to build on
the success of its brand
in China.
One of China’s most
successful and
influential contemporary
artists, Lu Hao was born
in Beijing in 1969 and
graduated from the
Central Academy of Fine
Arts in 1992, and
currently lives and
works in Beijing. As one
of the earliest and most
successful Chinese
avant-garde artists, he
has continually
cultivated a unique
artistic philosophy. In
1998 his “Flower Bird
Insect Fish” series
blended elements from
architecture, politics,
and daily life to much
acclaim. Lu Hao uses a
unique modern artistic
vocabulary to break free
from traditional
categories associated
with painting, and his
works have been warmly
welcomed since the very
beginning. His
importance lies in the
sense of “locality” he
creates in his world
class artworks, which
are often displayed in
international
exhibitions.
Lu Hao has
participated in numerous
exhibitions, including
the 48th Venice Biennale
in 1999; the 5th Lyon
Biennale in 2000; the
7th Istanbul Biennale in
2001; the 25th St.
Petersburg Biennale and
4th Shanghai Biennale in
2002; the ‘Alors la
Chine’ exhibit at the
Pompidou Center in 2003;
ARCO 2004 in Madrid; the
2004 Busan Biennale;
Archeology of the Future
– The Second Chinese Art
Triennial Exhibition in
2005; Documenta 12 in
Kassell in 2007; and the
2008 Shanghai Biennale.
In 2002 he was awarded
the Chinese Contemporary
Art Award (CCAA). In
2009 he was co-curator
of the Chinese pavilion
at the 53 Venice
Biennale, and he will
exhibit some of his
works at the 2010 New
York Biennale.
There are several
unique elements that
have been exclusively
developed by the artist
which blend traditional
Chinese elements with
the unique passion for
the special cars of
Ferrari.
In developing the
body of the One Off car,
the artist was inspired
by Song Dynasty Ge Kiln
porcelain. The
‘crackle’ glaze pattern
used on the car’s
exterior is elegantly
colored, with clearly
defined cracks at
different depths.
Porcelain is one of
China’s most distinctive
ancient arts, even
playing a role in the
origin of the country’s
English name “China”,
which comes from “Chang
Nan”, the original name
of the modern city
Jingdezhen. Only a few
hundred pieces of Ge
Kiln porcelain exist
today, all of them
priceless treasures.
They have the luster of
jade and are often used
to symbolize the
qualities of a true
gentleman. The complex
layering and simple
elegance of the crackle
glaze in particular is
described as “Fine as
refined gold and as
clear as polished jade”.
This unique car
perfectly blends the
subtle beauty of the
East with the intense
passion of the West.
The Engine Start
button in the China
Limited Edition model is
created using jade from
a renowned Italian
jeweler and inscribed
with the Chinese
characters for “Engine
Start” in Xiao Zhuan
script. The design
softens Western speed
and energy with the
Eastern charm of jade,
and represents the
finishing touch to the
artist’s vision. Jade is
formed over the period
of thousands of years
under the influence of
the mountains and
rivers, the sun and the
moon. Ferrari vehicles
are created using a
similarly painstaking
process beginning with a
meticulous design and
refinement. Cutting edge
technology is then used
to create exclusive and
unmatched works of
automotive
craftsmanship.
The numbers one to
ten on the car's rev
counter have been
written in Xiao Zhuan
Script, which was
China’s first
standardised script. By
making use of Xiao Zhuan
Script in the China
Limited Edition Model,
Ferrari is providing a
link to China’s majestic
ancient culture. It is a
unique and ingenious use
of China’s written
heritage. An elegant plaque
with the characters for
“China” adorns the car’s
exterior, commemorating
Ferrari’s first limited
edition vehicle for
China and reflecting
Ferrari’s admiration for
Chinese culture. The vehicle also
includes a
specially-made,
dedicated luggage set
for the trunk that is
inscribed with an image
inspired by the Silk
Road route, which once
ran from western China
to Venice, Italy, and is
the road that brought
Marco Polo to China. The
spirit of the Silk Road
is embodied in the
Italian craftsmanship of
this car. Finally, as a unique
status symbol, each car
will bear a dedicated
owner’s plate also
engraved in Xiao Zhuan
script.
Ferrari 599 China Limited
Edition with Handling GTE package
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is
the highest performance V12
berlinetta ever produced at
Maranello. The new model boasts the
most innovative and technologically
advanced features ever used by
Ferrari in a mid-front engined
two-seater, setting a whole standard
in terms of sportiness, design and
driving pleasure. It boasts the best
weight-to-power ratio of its
category, ideal weight distribution,
exceptional aerodynamic efficiency,
innovated design on car appearance,
even the adjusted engine sound
ensures 599 GTB Fiorano to be the
representative of front-engined two
seated car. The HGTE Package ensures
tighter and more dynamic handling,
with sharper cornering and improved
responsiveness whilst still being
easy to drive. It retains all of the
trademarks of an exclusive luxury
car whilst exceeding the performance
of one of Ferrari’s own iconic
supercars, the F40. This pinnacle of
engineering achievement delivers the
kind of performance that beats a
host of long standing records.
• the V12 engine: 5,999 cm3
displacement; a specific power
output of 103 CV/litre; maximum
torque of 608 Nm at 5,600 rpm,
maximum power of 620 CV at 7,600
rpm; maximum speed of over 330km/h,
1-100km/h acceleration time of 3.7
seconds.
• F1-Super gearbox: the new
generation F1 gearbox cuts overall
gear-shift times to 100 ms by
implementing contemporaneously the
various stages involved in changing
gears.
• F1 Trac system: the experience
built up over Formula 1 testing and
races by Ferrari and integrates
road-holding, safety and stability
of this car, optimizing traction.
• Enhanced manettino: developed from
F1 technology; the driver can
instantly intervene on the car’s
dynamic behaviour.
• The HGTE package includes a
modified set-up with stiffer springs
and rear anti-roll bar as well as
new calibration settings for the
magnetorheological shock absorbers
when the manettino is at its
sportier settings. The ride height
has also been lowered which in turn
lowers the car’s centre of gravity.
This combined with the new set-up
helps improve body control. The
package also includes specifically
optimised tyres featuring a compound
that offers even better grip.
• Optimized Aerodynamics: lengthy
testing in the wind tunnel at
Ferrari has yielded excellent
results in terms of both downforce
and drag.
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