Ferraris literally stop traffic
The 13,000-kilometres the psychedelically-named Ferrari Magic India Discovery Drive finally returned to Mumbai last night.
The cars were received at the Gateway of India, close to the starting point of the drive, on schedule.
Like the ‘China, Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles’ tour of the whole of China in 2005 and the ‘Panamerican 20,000’, the evnt is a punishing test of the reliability of Ferrari’s models.
The company said this type of test demonstrates ‘that modern Ferraris are cars that can be used in any conditions’.
The Indian event featured two 612 Scagliettis and more than 50 journalists took turns behind the wheels along the 13 often extremely difficult stages spread across India, taking in 57 cities in the over 70-day tour.
President Luca di Montezemolo sent in a video message at the Gateway of India: ‘I want to thank all the people who made possible this event around some of the most beautiful areas of the world.
‘The Magic India Discovery team was everywhere warmly welcomed by the Indian people that showed a great passion for Ferrari.’
The 612 Scagliettis had ‘absolutely minimal’ modifications including the addition of a protective underbody made from 4mm thick duraluminium rather than the usual plastic and the slight raising of the suspension to cope with tougher roads.
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