Ferrari 60th celebration comes to an end (with pictures)

24/06/2007

Today at Maranello, Ferrari marked the end of its official celebrations of its 60th anniversary.

Yesterday, following a unique worldwide relay, involving 103 stages in 42 countries on five continents: a journey that lasted involving 145, the baton with the 60 symbols, representing the 60 most important events in the history of the brand, came back home to its birthplace, Maranello.

Accompanied by more than 1,000 cars from Ferrari the baton officially arrived at 12 o'clock at the Fiorano race track on board a 125S, the first Ferrari ever built, with the team's 2007 drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, behind the wheel, followed by 52 Spiders - representing each market where the Prancing Horse is present these days.

10,300 cars, representing every model from every era, participated in the global journey, while the "Ferrari 60 Relay" was welcomed in each of the countries it passed with a gift dedicated to Ferrari. The 58 gifts are to be put to a charity auction and the money will be donated to children's hospitals in Modena and Bologna.

Today (Sunday), After the Ferrari drivers had greeted the guests on the grandstand and the Frecce Tricolori had concluded their stunning show, the historical F1 cars entered the race track: from the 1947 125 S to the 2006 248 F1, all of them driven by former and actual Ferrari drivers: Ivan Capelli (with a 1932 Alfa Romeo P3), Nino Vaccarella (1040 Auto Avio Costruzioni 815), Luca Badoer (375 F1), Gerhard Berger (500 F2), Andrea De Adamich (Dino 166 F2), Felipe Massa (312 T), Jody Scheckter (312 T4), René Arnoux (126 C4), Jean Alesi (F1-90), Michael Schumacher (F2004), Kimi Raikkonen (F2007) and again Schumacher with the FXX. Piero Ferrari drove some laps with the 125 S, the first car ever built at the works in Maranello in the year 1947.

Meanwhile the charity auction, held on Saturday evening, was a great success: the vast collection of objects given to Ferrari, plus the bonnet and the underbody of the F2004 (donated by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and sold for 50,000 Euro) brought in 220,000 Euro, which will be handed over to the paediatric clinics of Bologna and Modena.

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