For many, the sight of just one Ferrari thundering by is enough to cause palpitations, so imagine if you will, what it would be like to see six-hundred ‘Prancing Horses’ in one gathering, and no, that’s not a typo, 600! That’s what happened recently in Hong Kong, which celebrated 30 Years since the introduction of the marque there. Luca di Montezemolo, along with roughly 2,000 guests celebrated thirty years of Ferrari’s presence in Hong Kong, with the biggest gathering of Prancing Horse cars ever organised in Greater China.
Over six hundred Ferrari’s spanning every era, found themselves at the Asia World Expo on the island of Lantau, where they were arranged so as to form the characteristic symbol of Hong Kong, the five-petal flower, the Bauhinia Blakeana (above), to pay tribute to the long established relationship between Ferrari and the city where East meets West.
The event was also the occasion to present the very latest creation to come out of Maranello, the 458 Speciale, unveiled by Marc Gene, Scuderia Ferrari’s test driver. Also present along with President Montezemolo were representatives of Auto Italia Ltd, the Prancing Horse’s Hong Kong importer and over two thousand Ferrari owners and guests, who all share a passion for the marque.
Among the cars present were some real gems from the past, such as the 195 Inter, the 365 GTC and the Dino, as well as the very best examples of the modern sports car, such as the 458 Challenge and the laboratory cars, the 599 XX and FXX Evoluzione. “I am pleased to be here to celebrate Ferrari’s thirty years in Hong Kong, along with so many owners who share our passion and the search for excellence, exclusivity and innovation,” said President Montezemolo. “Their contribution to our growth in Greater China has always been a vital element and it will continue to be so in the future.”
Meeting the media, Montezemolo underlined the importance of exclusivity in this market too: “It’s true that China is a relatively new market, where we are now present with thirty dealerships, and with a big margin for growth, but this year we want to maintain sales at those of last year.” The average age of Ferrari owners in China continues to be quite low (35) and with a great propensity for car personalisation, which is why the “Tailor Made” programme has been so successful.”
The historic role of Hong Kong, which boasts around 1700 owners is also underlined by the extensive group of collectors and the growing interest in racing activities. In fact, various customers have acquired historic Formula 1 cars and take part in events specially organised for them by the F1 Clienti department, with nine drivers, 20% of those entered, taking part in the Asia Pacific series of the Ferrari Challenge, the onemake series for owner-drivers, who will be tackling the final event of the season over the weekend of 9/10 November, at the Mugello circuit in Italy.
