Ferrari drives round China

Pair of Scagliettis to take 15,000 mile tour

By PH Staff / Friday, 8 July 2005 / Loading comments

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Ferrari is planning to drive a pair of 612 Scagliettis around China.

There's a precedent. In 1997 an F355 ran round the world -- all five continents -- and was driven by 147 different journalists from the various countries it crossed, and each one left his signature on the car’s bodywork. It left New York on 18 March and returned 75 days later.

This time, two Scagliettis, one red with a silver bonnet and the other silver with a red bonnet, will leave Shanghai on 29 August 2005 for a grand tour of China, driven by Chinese and international journalists. The route covers a range of terrains and challenges. The cars will endure extremes of cold and heat, with tough road conditions and environmental obstacles.

The cars will head north, then east toward Manchuria, then south-west to Beijing and along the Great Wall as far as Lanzhou. From there, they will cover over 1,875 miles at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres as far as Lhasa in Tibet before heading back west through the Gobi Desert to the ancient city of Kashi, site of Marco Polo’s famous silk market.

After a further dash through the desert, the cars will drive on to Urumqi and then down through the tropical part of the country to Guangzhou, which is more familiar to us as Canton. From there they will continue on through the most modern and western part of China back to Shanghai after a round trip of 15,000 miles. If all goes according to plan, said Ferrari, the two Scagliettis should complete their tour of China in 45 days. Fifteen international journalists and 15 Chinese journalists will drive the route at different times.

Ferrari reckoned the cars will be minimally modified. They will have a larger fuel tank with petrol filters that are easily accessed for cleaning purposes, underbody protectors and slightly higher suspension. Their headlights will also be protected by a metal grille and some of the air intakes will be modified to allow them to traverse water-logged areas in safety. In every other respect, however, the cars are production models with a 540bhp V12, dry sump lubrication, a six-speed gearbox and a Transaxle transmission.

In addition to the journalists, a photographer and video camera operator, there will also be nine other expedition members who will provide technical, logistical and linguistic assistance.

En route, the cars will stop off at the 10 Ferrari dealerships now up and running in China, at Yanzhou where Pirelli has signed a joint-venture contract aimed at starting the manufacturing of tyres, at several of the major Shell service stations, and at Fiat’s Chinese base at Nanjing.