Special Honoured Guest from Italy at the Columbus Day Parade this year will be Federica Pellegrini, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medallist and 2009 World Record Holder (top, seen at the wheel of the Maserati GranTurismo S) while Maserati will make a Quattroporte S (bottom) available for raffle.

A troop of classic and contemporary Maserati sports and luxury cars will lead New York City's 65th annual Columbus Day Parade up Fifth Avenue tomorrow (October 12). Automotive enthusiasts' will have an opportunity to view the cars in an exhibition following the parade and also to win a Maserati Quattroporte S in an exclusive raffle that will benefit the scholarship programs of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which organizes the Columbus Day Parade.

Among the Maseratis to be featured in the Columbus Day Parade will be a superb 1929/1931 Maserati Spyder - V16. A unique model, the 1931 Maserati Zagato Spyder was the first super car. Powered by an unusual 16-cylinder engine, the car set the world's speed record of 152.9 mph in 1929. It was later rebodied in 1931 by coachbuilder Zagato as a road-going sports car, and much later in life, in 2003, it was a first place winner in the Pebble Beach Concourse. Another Trident model set to take to the streets of New York tomorrow will be a 1955 Maserati A6G54 GT Frua Berlinetta. Exhibited in the Turin Motor Show in 1955, this A6G54 was sold to Italian music legend Domenico Modugno, who recorded and wrote the music and co-authored the lyrics for "Volare," which won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1958. In 2003, the Frua Berlinetta won Best of Show in the 2003 Villa d'Este Concours in Cernobbio, Italy.

Racing heritage will be perfectly represented by a 1956 Maserati 300S which won the 1956 Venezuelan Grand Prix driven by Stirling Moss and later acquired by five time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio; it also won first in class at the 1999 Pebble Beach Concours. Another Trident car in the parade will be a 5000 GT from 1960. This striking automobile, the second of 34 5000 GTs built, is identical to the model built for the Shah of Iran in 1959. It was displayed at the 1959 Turin Motor Show and uses the Maserati 450 S race car engine and is capable of a top speed of over 170 mph. There will also be a 1970 Maserati Ghibli Spyder SS in action: The Maserati Ghibli Spyder went into production in 1969 and, as an SS model, is extremely rare - only 25 were built. The model in the 2007 Columbus Day Parade had only one prior owner, a Neapolitan businessman who purchased it in 1970 to help win the affection of a woman he considered the most beautiful in Naples. They subsequently married and are still together to this day. Following their appearance in the parade, these Maseratis and others taking part will be on view in front of the Columbus Citizens Foundation until early evening.

The exhibition will be on 69th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues and will see 35,000 marchers, and over 100 bands, floats and contingents adding up to nearly one million spectators. On October 12, Fifth Avenue will be transformed during the Columbus Day Parade, the world’s largest celebration of Italian-American culture. This year the parade will be lead by Grand Marshal Kenneth G. Langone. Mr. Langone is the co-founder of Home Depot and Chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center. Honorees will include Frank A. Corvino, President & CEO of Greenwich Hospital, Ronald J. Ferrelli, Managing Director, Northeast Division, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and as Special Honoured Guest from Italy Federica Pellegrini, 2008 Olympic Gold Medallist/2009 World Record Holder.

The parade celebrates the spirit of exploration and courage that inspired Christopher Columbus’s 1492 expedition and the important contributions Italian-Americans have made to the United States. Over a dozen high school bands, as well as virtuosi professional groups from the United States and Italy, will make the march up Fifth Avenue and fill the canyons of midtown with joyous, heart-pounding music. Traditional folk groups will perform centuries-old dances, and cutting-edge designs will be brought to the parade route in displays of the vibrant culture that is Italy today.

The Maserati Quattroporte S that will be raffled, which is silver with a tan interior, is currently on view in a unique exhibition in Grand Central Terminal through October 17. Maserati Quattroporte S presents a modern look and meets Maserati's high standards of engineering and design. The drawing will be held at 6:00 PM on October 16 in Grand Central Terminal. Maserati is partnering with the Columbus Citizens Foundation in the raffle of the Quattroporte S in recognition and support of the Foundation's scholarship programs and of the company's own Italian heritage. Tickets for the Quattroporte S are limited to 400 and cost $1,000.00 each.

Proceeds of the raffle will benefit the Columbus Citizens Foundation's scholarship funds. The Foundation is a non-profit organization in New York City that provides financial aid to deserving students from the elementary school through graduate school levels and organizes events that promote Italian-American heritage and culture. In 2009, the Foundation is providing financial aid to over 600 students of Italian ancestry. The Foundation has organized New York City's Columbus Day Parade since 1929.