17th Annual Cavallino Classic Hits Palm Beach January 22-27

    PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferrari North America is
 going to play a leading role in the 17th edition of the Cavallino Classic
 series of events, to take place in the Palm Beach area, Florida from
 January 22nd through the 27th.
 
     The events will attract thousands of Ferrari enthusiasts, while almost
 a thousand owners are expected to attend from the U.S., the Americas,
 Europe and Japan. The program will also feature the official Florida debut
 of Ferrari's newest Berlinetta, the 430 Scuderia.
 
     Kicking off the main events will be the Shell Historic Challenge, a
 two- day track meet at the Moroso Motorsports Park on Thursday, January
 24th and Friday, January 25th. The races feature vintage competition-class
 cars from Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo divided in two categories: drum
 brakes and disk brakes.
 
     On the evening of Thursday January 24th, Ferrari North America will
 take part in the Jet Aviation Party at the Palm Beach International
 Airport, where a by-invitation-only reception will be held featuring exotic
 cars and charter jets. 2500 VIP guests are expected to participate in this
 traditional event. On this occasion, the Ferrari 430 Scuderia will be
 unveiled for the first time to Florida's audience. The Scuderia has a dry
 weight of 2775 lb (1250 kg) and 503 HP (510 CV) delivered at 8500 rpm by
 its naturally aspirated 4308 cm3 V8 engine and sprints from 0 to 60 mph in
 less than 3.6 seconds.
 
     The cornerstone event of the weekend will unfold on Saturday, January
 26th, when one of the largest and most prestigious Ferrari-only Concours
 D'Elegance will take place on the lawns at the Breakers Hotel. This show
 will feature 150 pristine Prancing Horses of a broad range of models and
 years. The cars will be judged and awarded by leading experts in various
 categories.
 
     This year, one of the categories judged at the Concours will be
 dedicated for the first time to Ferraris certified by the Ferrari Classiche
 Program. Founded in 2005, the Classiche Program provides the owners of
 veteran and classic Ferraris with a suitably professional restoration and
 maintenance service, technical assistance and authenticity certification.
 Ferrari Classiche has received around 800 certification requests and has
 issued around 550 certificates thus far. Certification is a meticulous
 process involving examination of the car and comparisons with the original
 designs held in the Ferrari historic archive. At the Ferrari Classiche
 display on the lawns of the Breakers, guests will have the chance to
 observe some of the technology involved in the inspection and certification
 of a true classic Ferrari.
 
     This year Ferrari celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Ferrari
 Daytona, officially called the 365 GTB, which was produced from 1968 to
 1971. The Daytona name commemorates Ferrari's triple success in the 1967 24
 Hours of Daytona with its 330P4. A Daytona will be featured at the Ferrari
 Classiche Display.
 
     Ferrari in North and South America
 
     2007 was the 15th consecutive year of growth for Ferrari North America
 with 1,762 cars delivered in the United States and Canada and a further 90
 in Central and South America, amounting to 1,851 Ferraris altogether. This
 figure represents 30% of Ferrari's total sales worldwide, making North
 America the company's largest market. Sales were also up 8% on the previous
 year's figures for the North, Central and South American market.
 
     There are 45 dealerships in Ferrari's American network: 32 are in the
 United States, 4 in Canada and 9 in South America. The North American
 dealership network has invested $70 million over the last three years in
 upgrading its infrastructure while a further $30 million will be spent in
 2008. California is the largest of the North American markets, accounting
 for 27% of sales. It is followed by North East (16%), Florida (11%), Texas
 (7%) and Chicago (6%). The leading South American markets are Brazil,
 Mexico, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina.
 
     Ferrari North America enjoys an exclusive relationship with its clients
 and enthusiasts, which has been further enhanced by the introduction of a
 vast range of services and events over the last few years. These include
 the Ferrari Challenge, which celebrates its 16th edition this year and
 offers F430 Challenge owners no less than seven different opportunities to
 race their cars in the course of the year. In 2008 The Ferrari Challenge
 races will be held in Florida, Georgia, Northern California (both at the
 Infeneon and Laguna Seca tracks), Quebec and New Jersey.
 
     Since 2006 Ferrari North America has also been organizing the Ferrari
 North America Driving School, which is based at the Mont Tremblant circuit
 in Quebec. Course participants are given the opportunity to learn various
 driving control techniques to ensure they fully enjoy their car at the peak
 of its performance in an environment in which safety remains the absolute
 priority at all times.
 
     Ferrari Financial Services was also introduced to the United States in
 July 2007. The company was created to acquaint Ferrari clients to a new
 world of services, including but not limited to financing options, which
 utilize a wide range of personalized flexible programs.
 
     For further information, please visit: www.ferrariusa.com.
 
 
 

SOURCE Ferrari North America