The 'Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles' Tour
The first ever tour of China by a car manufacturer, the 'Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles', got off to an exciting start in Shanghai on 29th August 2005. The Tour saw two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis, driven by teams of Chinese and international journalists, cross the length and breadth of this vast country.
The 'Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles' Tour is enormously symbolic on several levels. Firstly, China itself looks set to epitomise the 21st century better than any other nation. Secondly, its economic and industrial growth also make it hugely important for the world car industry and it is significant that cars by the world's most exclusive and sought after marque will be the first to explore its immensity.
It is equally significant, however, that it is an Italian brand that is introducing journalists to the incredible diverseness of a country that combines past, present, tradition and future. The Tour also celebrates '2006 Italian Year in China' while the car windshields will also display the emblem of the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
The two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis were supported by a team of maintenance staff and trucks supplied IVECO. Two Fiat cars accompanied the team also. After setting off from Shanghai this morning they passed through Nanjing and then moved towards East, to Manchuria. At Shenyang the team turned South to Beijing then travel right across the country to Golmud in Qinghai province before driving across Tibet to Lhasa. After travelling over 4,000 kilometres at an altitude of 4,000 metres, the team continued along the edge of the Gobi Desert and head to Xingjian province and Kashi, the world's most land-locked city and home to a famous silk market since the times of Marco Polo. After leaving Kashi the China Tour team once again crossed the Desert, this time heading South towards Urumqi and the start of the return leg. The group followed the Great Wall of China then make a right turn and head off to the tropical belt and as far South as Guangzhou. On the 30th of October, the team finally returned to Shanghai. A total of about 40 journalists from China and abroad took part in driving throughout the entire journey.
The departure ceremony was a spectacular event held at the Ferrari showrooms on Tomorrow Square. Media representatives and Ferrari clients gathered to watch the drum performance and symbolic tank filling ceremony held by Shell China. Afterwards, at People's Square, Ferrari presented Mr. Wei Hu (the deputy director of the standing committee of the Shanghai People's Congress) with a symbol of friendship, the Ferrari Trophy