The Ferrari Park Avenue Showroom in New York Sees the North American Debut of the 2008 612 Scaglietti and the One-to-One Personalization Program

    NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferrari officially premieres today
 in North America the 2008 612 Scaglietti, the model used to inaugurate the
 new One-to-One Personalization Program of the Company. Ferrari intends to
 allow every client to fully personalize this flagship model, courtesy of a
 wide array of new content as well as the options available through the
 Carrozzeria Scaglietti Programme. In fact, a special dedicated "atelier"
 area has been set up at the factory, where clients can put together their
 own bespoke 612 Scaglietti accessory by accessory, detail by detail. In
 exactly the same way as they would at an haute couture fashion house,
 owners can choose details and materials they want for their car in
 consultation with the Ferrari experts who will actually build it to their
 exact specifications and tastes.
 
     Clients will be assisted in making their selections by dedicated
 Programme consultants who can help them at every stage of defining their
 car's specification. All of these unique new 612 Scagliettis will be built
 in a dedicated assembly area at the Maranello factory.
 
     The 612 Scagliettis being used to launch the One-to-One Program
 incorporate a series of technical evolutions that reflect the Ferrari
 philosophy of constantly introducing innovations in each model. Most
 notably, the V12 flagship now boasts an electrochromic panoramic roof which
 covers the entire top of the cabin. The electrochromic glass can be changed
 at the touch of a button to adjust the levels of sunlight allowed into the
 cabin. This solution was developed in close collaboration with Saint
 Gobain, a partner with whom Ferrari has most recently developed a similar
 highly innovative solution for the Superamerica.
 
     In addition to its electrochromic roof, the 612 Scaglietti also sports
 the aptly named SuperFast gearbox which delivers an exceptional
 gear-shifting time of 100 milliseconds and a reduced inertia clutch to
 enhance the engine's responsiveness still further. The iconic Ferrari
 manettino, now featured on the entire range, has also been added to the
 steering wheel.
 
     The Company's sporting history is represented at the Park Avenue
 Showroom by the 430 Scuderia, an extreme model voted "Dream Car of the
 Year" by the authoritative British car magazine Top Gear.
 
     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.
 
     612 SCAGLIETTI - SPECIFICATIONS
 
     The 612 Scaglietti is the result of an avant-garde design that
 continues the great Ferrari 2+2 tradition in fabulous style. Designed by
 Pininfarina, the 612 Scaglietti is named in honour of Sergio Scaglietti,
 the legendary Modenese stylist and coachbuilder responsible for bodying
 some of the most beautiful Ferraris of the 1950s and 60s. The 612
 Scaglietti epitomises Ferrari's talent for innovation and design. This
 thrillingly nimble, beautifully balanced sporty front-engined rear-wheel
 drive berlinetta offers a cabin capable of accommodating four occupants in
 unprecedented onboard comfort, thanks to a host of accessories and a
 fantastic specification. The 612 Scaglietti is a sumptuous, roomy two-door
 four-seater that's a pleasure to be aboard regardless of the driving
 conditions.
 
     The chassis and bodywork. These are made entirely from light, tough
 aluminium which translates into enhanced performance, braking and
 road-holding all in one.
 
     Engine. The V12 engine has a dry sump lubrication system featuring both
 delivery and scavenge pumps, twin overhead cams, 48 valves, maximum power
 of 540 hp at 7250 rpm, maximum torque of 60 kgm at 5250 rpm. The car has a
 maximum speed of 320 kph, and 0 to 100 kph acceleration of 4.0 secs.
 
     Gearbox, 6-speed, F1-type featuring new SuperFast technology that cuts
 gear-shifting times to 100 milliseconds. Courtesy of either the steering
 wheel-mounted manettino and specific button, the gearbox can easily switch
 from very high performance situations to city or touring driving.
 
     Clutch: Twin-plate to reduce weight and rotating masses as well as
 thermal and mechanical inertia.
 
     Brakes. Carbon-ceramic material (CCM) Brembo brakes with vented discs
 that are fade and vibration-resistant even in extreme and intensive
 situations. The fact that the brakes are so light also reduces the unsprung
 masses. Large- diameter discs: 380x36mm with 6-pot callipers front and
 360x34 and 4-pot callipers rear.
 
     MAGIC INDIA DISCOVERY
 
     The Magic India Discovery Tour started from Mumbai on February 25th and
 will see two 612 Scagliettis cover a route stretching more than 13,000
 kilometres.
 
     The two 612 Scagliettis (one red, the other white, both sporting a
 specially designed livery) will feature a few absolutely minimal
 modifications to allow them to negotiate the more difficult sections of the
 tour. The modifications involve the fitting of an underbody protector made
 from 4 mm duraluminium rather than plastic and a slightly higher suspension
 setting to deal with the tougher road surfaces. Otherwise, however, they
 will be entirely straightforward production cars.
 
     The Magic India Discovery tour is divided into 12 stages and runs over
 74 days. The start from Mumbai's Gateway of India was watched by Fiat Group
 Vice- President John Elkan and Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group. The
 two Scagliettis will head south along the coast to the city of Trivandrum
 near the very southern tip of the Indian peninsula, turning up towards
 Bangalore and Kolkata (Calcutta). The final part of the voyage takes the
 cars up along the river Ganges and north to the Pakistani border. It then
 heads back down towards New Delhi and on through fascinating Rajasthan
 before returning to Mumbai.
 
     The Magic India Discovery tour will enjoy the invaluable support of the
 Tata Group, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, Taj Hotels, Shell, Fiat
 India Pvt Ltd., Alcoa, Pirelli, Saima Avandero and OMR. Assistance and
 spare parts will be provided by eight support vehicles: five Tata cars, two
 Fiats and one specially fitted-out Iveco truck.
 
     The 612 Scaglietti is Ferrari's top of the range model and in line with
 its elegant, exclusive image, we will also be providing our guests on the
 tour with sophisticated colonial style clothing. In addition to this,
 legendary Milanese hatmaker Borsalino has created a contemporary take on
 the classic colonial Pith helmet as the weather will be particularly hot
 and sunny.
 
     The www.ferrariworld.com and www.media.ferrari.com websites will
 feature constantly updated news and high resolution images throughout the
 tour also.
 
     FERRARI BUSINESS
 
     2007 BALANCE SHEET: A RECORD YEAR
 
     In the year of Ferrari's 60 year anniversary, beautifully topped off by
 our seventh Constructors' World title in nine years in Formula 1 and our
 sixth Drivers' title in the last eight years of the World Championship, all
 of the main economic indicators were up to excellent levels.
 
     Ferrari's revenues (turnover) increased from the 1,447 million euro
 recorded in 2006 to 1,668 million euro in 2007, a jump of 15.3%.
 
     A total of 6,465 road cars (i.e. track cars excluded) were delivered to
 end clients, an increase of 14% on 2006. The emerging markets showed the
 strongest growth. Sales to the Asia-Pacific region rose by 47.2% on last
 year's figure while the Middle East was up by 32.3%. The trend was positive
 too, however, in more traditional markets such as the United States
 (+7.7%), the United Kingdom (+8.2%) and Germany (+5.9%).
 
     Our trading profit of 266 million euro represents a massive 45.4%
 increase on last year's figure and brings our ROS (Return on Sales) up to
 16% compared to 12.6% in 2006.
 
 
 

SOURCE Ferrari North America