20 years ago, the first Ferari was ordered from Beijing, a 348 TS. Ferrari is celebrating this milestone by inaugurating for the first time ever, a permanent brand exhibition outside of Maranello. Covering 900 square metres of the Italia Center of Shanghai World Expo Park, the Ferrari Exhibition will last for three years and will feature some of the best collections from the Maranello Museum.
A 458 Italia special edition of only 20 cars dedicated exclusively to the China market is planned. The car’s livery is characterized by unique Chinese elements and is finished in a brand new colour called Marco Polo Red specially developed for this exclusive car which will be presented at the inauguration of the Ferrari Exhibition at the Shanghai Expo Park’s Italian Center.
The most eye-catching element of the car’s exterior is the golden dragon on the front bonnet, which is offset by gold and black livery stripes symbolizing a racing track.
The inspiration behind the livery came from the longma theme which is an old Chinese idiom which means “the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse”. Dragon is a symbol of Chinese culture, standing for courage, passion and success, whilst Ferrari’s prancing horse logo is one of the most recognized symbols in the world representing Italian cultural identity and its unrivalled achievements in the design and engineering fields. Ferrari also points out that there couldn’t be a vehicle that could more perfectly encapsulates the passion and vitality of the longma spirit, than the 458 Italia.
This unique design is enhanced by gold finish to the rims and the aeroelastic winglets. The interior also reflects the unique longma spirit and the celebration of Chinese culture with gold embroidery on the car’s head rests, while the engine start button on each of the 20 cars is inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for ‘start’, and a ‘20th Anniversary Special Edition’ plaque is set into the dash.
Well, what can we say, a Ferrari doesn’t get any more bling than this!