News March 26 2006

Ferrari 60th celebrations arrive in NZ

The Ferrari 60th Anniversary Baton has been given a traditional Maori welcome to Auckland, as it arrived earlier this month (6th March) in New Zealand as part of its worldwide tour to link 10,000 Ferrari owners and celebrate six decades of Ferrari.

The New Zealand Ferrari celebrations were centred in Auckland, where more than 90 Ferrari owners and VIPs gathered at the Auckland Museum to watch the Ferrari 60th Anniversary baton welcomed to New Zealand by Manaia, the Auckland Museum’s performance group, before moving to the city’s Hilton Hotel on the waterfront for an evening of celebration.

The Baton also journeyed around Auckland in some of the rarest Ferrari’s in New Zealand, including an F40, the super car built to mark the 40th Anniversary of Ferrari, the Ferrari Enzo, the remarkable performance car named in honour of the man who founded the company back in 1947, and the latest model – and the only one in New Zealand so far – from Maranello, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. These were joined by a host of other Ferraris, such as the classic 512 Berlinetta Boxer, and the entire modern range, the F430, the F430 Spider and the 612 Scaglietti.

Attendees came from the full length of New Zealand, as far afield as Mosgiel at the lower end of the South Island, and included the club captain from each of the three Ferrari Clubs in New Zealand – and the president of the Norwegian Ferrari Club, who attended during his honeymoon!

Honoured guests at the celebration included Ambassador of Italy, Her Excellency, Liana Marolla who accepted on behalf of Ferrari a unique Maori artwork to be displayed in Italy as part of a exhibition on the 60th Anniversary tour; His Worship the Mayor of Auckland, Mr Dick Hubbarb and his wife Dianna; Italian Consulate General, Mr Mario Magaraggia and his wife Diane; The New Zealand Ferrari Owners Club President, Mr Gary Wood and his wife Gillian. Ferrari was represented at the gala evening by Matteo Boncianni, Regional Communications Director for Ferrari Asia Pacific; The Marketing Executive of Ferrari APAC, Ms Jade Fariello and the Marketing Manager of Ferrari APAC, Mr Marco Mele.

Kevin Wall, the General Manager of European Automotive Imports, the New Zealand and Australian Ferrari importer was accompanied by Sarah MacDonald, the National Marketing Manager for Ferrari at EAI. Patrick McKenna, the Managing Director of Sime Darby Motor Group New Zealand, the owners of Continental Car Services, the New Zealand Ferrari dealer, was joined by the Managing Director of Continental Car Services, Mr Richard Pitt, and the Ferrari Division Manager, Mr Andy Booth.

“As a Kiwi, I am tremendously proud of the welcome that we were able to give Ferrari and the 60th Anniversary Baton in New Zealand,” says Kevin Wall, the General Manager of EAI, the New Zealand and Australian Ferrari importer. “Ferrari has a long and illustrious history in New Zealand, not just with some of the first Ferraris arriving in New Zealand very soon after the company first started exports, but also with racing drivers such as Chris Amon; New Zealand has played a significant role in Ferrari track success.

No less than Enzo Ferrari described him as one of most naturally gifted drivers he had seen. Today in Auckland we have been able to celebrate this strong and enduring link between Ferrari and New Zealand. The passion with which Ferrari is followed here has been clearly demonstrated and today’s events have guaranteed that New Zealand will be one of the most memorable legs in the Ferrari 60th Anniversary Relay.”

From New Zealand the Ferrari 60th Anniversary Baton team move on to South Africa, before traversing North and South America and heading for a tour of Europe, concluding in Ferrari’s Italian home town of Maranello in June for a week of celebrations.

© italiancar.net 26/3/07