Previously we brought you Maranello Egham's celebration of 70 years of Ferrari in the form of 70 Ferraris of all shapes and sizes spending an afternoon parading around Windsor Park - a wonderful spectacle. However, the following week, and I do mean for the whole week, the baton was handed - so to speak - to London's HR Owen Ferrari.
In order to make the most of being entrusted with Ferrari North Europe's Nero Daytona Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, and the very same 812 Superfast that was unveiled at the Geneva motor show, celebrations started on Monday the moment the two star cars were unloaded from a fashionably late transporter- in true Italian style - right up until they were collected again at the end of the week. Exhausting to keep up with!
The 812SF drove (briefly) along Old Brompton Road where it was unloaded, one of the very first times the brand-new model has turned its wheels on British soil over any appreciable distance, and I have to say it sounded sensational. The V12 howl was reminiscent of the glorious engine note of the 599 GTO. We were lucky enough to join HR Owen and Ferrari North Europe on an Aperta night shoot, taking in the iconic London sights. It's amazing how early the sun rises in June, and also how congested Piccadilly is even at 4am...
Further celebrations included the usual 70 car parade that you have seen (and will continue to see) from other official dealerships. Highlights from London's parade, which was even held up for some time by the Queen in her Bentley State Limousine, include a multitude of Speciales, Speciale Apertas, TdFs, GTOs and an overwhelming number of 488s (some of which had delightful specs), and probably the most noteworthy California T I've ever come across, finished in Verde Pino. However, the star of the show, even more so than the LaFerrari Aperta which took centre stage on a plinth at Waterloo Place, was the Ferrari 550 GTZ by Zagato. This car was one of five 550 Barchettas built by Zagato in 2009, and sold back then for an incredible £1million.
In months previous we have shown you both HR Owen Ferrari's F2001 and SF15-T Formula One racing cars parked up in various parts of London (you might have even spied the F2001 towering above Goodwood House at FoS on this year's artwork). However, finally they were united on the streets of South Kensington, parked tail to tail for many a van driver, tourist and car spotter alike to stop for a quick snap! Quite an impressive sight, and fitting given Scuderia Ferrari's 1-2 finish at last weekend's Hungarian GP.
Upcoming celebrations include JCT600 Leeds on the 4th August, Graypaul Edinburgh on the 8th of August and finally Charles Hurst Belfast on the 12th August. UK celebrations are brought to a close on the 23rd/24th September at Silverstone Circuit where the Aperta will be paraded with other historic Ferraris - an excellent day out if you're nearby. If you're too busy, lazy or disinterested we will be bringing you images from a selection of upcoming events, so you don't even have to worry about leaving your desk! Be sure to keep an eye on the HR Owen Ferrari and also PistonHeads social media to keep up to date with what's going on.
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