yeah, that must be one hell of a journey.
The Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles Tour reached an important milestone on the evening of 28 September: driving along a famed stretch of the fascinating and age-old Silk Road, the cars entered the city of Urumqi. After reaching Dunhuang by descending from the 3,000 metres above sea level starting point, the cars headed for Hami, Xinjiang. The city is a centre of trade and cultural exchange between populations on the borders of the Asian continent. The next leg between Hami and Urumqi resulted in the crews uncovering a vast tapestry of art and history. This was especially true of the villages of Gaochang and along the Flaming mountains close to Turpan. This was how the sixth stage of the gripping Ferrari tour came to a close. Leaving the city of Golmud on the morning of 25 September, the two 612 Scagliettis took the 315 state road that crosses the parched and sandy country. The difficult conditions meant that the cars were forced to limit their speed to less then 40 km/h for most of the day. Dunhuang was reached after a long descent along the plain. The city revealed its most precious charms to the Ferraris. Dunhuang is known for its 'Thousand Caves of Buddha', an enormous complex that is adorned with 45,000 square metres of murals. The city is surrounded with greenery and semi-desert scenery. This environment makes the constructions appear even more imposing. Dunhuang is situated in a fundamental part of the celebrated Silk Road. From the city the way continues northwards via Turpan, Kucha and Aksu or heads south in the direction of Khotan. The Scagliettis' route was north and they made their first top at Hami. The city is a cultural and commercial crossroads and peopled by different ethnic groups who live together harmoniously. The population was attracted to the city by the presence of water and its position in the centre of the Asian continent. Hami is famous for its Arab art, still testimony to the mix of traditions in the area. The expedition moved on towards Gaochang, a town built around the Flaming Mountains and centre of the ancient religions Buddhism and Manicheism. On their way towards the final destination of Urumqi, the Ferraris reached Turpan. The route taken was again along the Silk Road, a highway that presented even more examples of Arab art. One such monument was the Sungong mosque. The cars made a stop close to the complex so that they could have a good view of the soaring minaret. The crews got going once more along the road that hugs the towering Tian Shan mountain range. The Scagliettis then drove along another stretch where the altitude topped 1000 metres above sea level before descending to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. The name of the city is inspired by its reknown as the 'city of the beautiful pastures' in the language of Mongolia. It is situated west of the Bogda Mountain (5400) and 100 kilometres from the Azure Lake, the surface of which reflects the surrounding mountains. The Maranello 2+2s took the road that edges the lake, one that features a number of curves. This led to the capital city, found at a little over 800 metres above sea level. The team spent the day in Urumqi, allowing them to visit the urban centre as it was when it was constructed in the era of Ming rule. The city became capital of Xinjiang in 1884 and is now an industrial town but one set in a scenic natural environment. The stop and a number of engagements with the local authorities over, the journey will continue on 30 September. The objective will be Kashi, a three day journey away.
Didn't get the text, but here are the pics from the 14th. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I should be great to know the real problems (mechanical) encountered during the trip. But I guess we will never know. Ciao Eugenio
Uramuchi to Kashi In discovering ever more remote and fascinating places, the 612 Scagliettis have reached the midway point of their journey and, this week, made the westernmost city in China, Kashi. The cars, in the space of three days, have crossed very different areas, both in terms of scenery and culture. The early stages towards the Tian Mountain peak were difficult as heavy snow slowed progress. On the descent into the Xinjiang region, the Ferrari caravan was able to admire the Arabesque architecture found in the city of Kashi. The site is an ancient crossroads on the Silk Road, with a history and commercial tradition dating back long into the past. The 612 Scagliettis got going again on the way to Korla for the seventh stage. The cars were driven by journalists from Evo and Vogue and a brief stop was made in the city of Urumqi. The cars then ventured onto the peaks of the Azure Mountains, spending the whole of 30 September coping with difficult, icy roads. The testing conditions were dealt with superbly by the Maranello 2+2s. The following day the Ferraris took the 314 state road that led them from Korla to Aksu. Looming over the cars the entire length of the journey was the Halik Shan mountain range with its harsh colouring and pronounced ridges that rendered the scenery extremely enchanting. The crews reached the city of Kuqa in the afternoon and there the 612 Scagliettis were able to visit the traditional market place. At the end of the visit to the market, the cars took in the Arab mosque and its beautiful minarets. In the final stretch before Aksu, some cotton and chilli fields began to break up the barren desert scenery.These products form an important part of the local economy. The Ferrari 15,000 Miles Red Tour continues to stir the passions of fans and those directly involved. The emotions felt are ever-changing as the cars come into contact with places of great interest and age-old history. This is true of Kashi, a cultural and commercial crossroads since its foundation in 170 AD. At the time, silk was already much appreciated in Rome by the social classes who could afford its long and complicated transportation. The city of Kashi, known as 'Casciar' in the thirteenth century, was citied by the great explorer Marco Polo in 'The Million'. He spoke of the city as an ancient realm in which the people 'adore Mohammed', an explicit reference to the Arab culture that is today seen in the mosques and the lively and colourful bazaar. He went on: 'it has many quarters and castles [...] and they live on trading and the arts. They have fine gardens and vines and possessions and cotton. There are many merchants'. Polo's descriptions reflect the appearance of the city even today as the Maranello 2+2s saw it. The team drove along the main street, allowing the crews to admire the multi-cultural scene and the vivid colours.
Uramuchi to Kashi In discovering ever more remote and fascinating places, the 612 Scagliettis have reached the midway point of their journey and, this week, made the westernmost city in China, Kashi. The cars, in the space of three days, have crossed very different areas, both in terms of scenery and culture. The early stages towards the Tian Mountain peak were difficult as heavy snow slowed progress. On the descent into the Xinjiang region, the Ferrari caravan was able to admire the Arabesque architecture found in the city of Kashi. The site is an ancient crossroads on the Silk Road, with a history and commercial tradition dating back long into the past. The 612 Scagliettis got going again on the way to Korla for the seventh stage. The cars were driven by journalists from Evo and Vogue and a brief stop was made in the city of Urumqi. The cars then ventured onto the peaks of the Azure Mountains, spending the whole of 30 September coping with difficult, icy roads. The testing conditions were dealt with superbly by the Maranello 2+2s. The following day the Ferraris took the 314 state road that led them from Korla to Aksu. Looming over the cars the entire length of the journey was the Halik Shan mountain range with its harsh colouring and pronounced ridges that rendered the scenery extremely enchanting. The crews reached the city of Kuqa in the afternoon and there the 612 Scagliettis were able to visit the traditional market place. At the end of the visit to the market, the cars took in the Arab mosque and its beautiful minarets. In the final stretch before Aksu, some cotton and chilli fields began to break up the barren desert scenery.These products form an important part of the local economy. The Ferrari 15,000 Miles Red Tour continues to stir the passions of fans and those directly involved. The emotions felt are ever-changing as the cars come into contact with places of great interest and age-old history. This is true of Kashi, a cultural and commercial crossroads since its foundation in 170 AD. At the time, silk was already much appreciated in Rome by the social classes who could afford its long and complicated transportation. The city of Kashi, known as 'Casciar' in the thirteenth century, was citied by the great explorer Marco Polo in 'The Million'. He spoke of the city as an ancient realm in which the people 'adore Mohammed', an explicit reference to the Arab culture that is today seen in the mosques and the lively and colourful bazaar. He went on: 'it has many quarters and castles [...] and they live on trading and the arts. They have fine gardens and vines and possessions and cotton. There are many merchants'. Polo's descriptions reflect the appearance of the city even today as the Maranello 2+2s saw it. The team drove along the main street, allowing the crews to admire the multi-cultural scene and the vivid colours.
I check every day for the update but the reporting is very slow, I have complained to Ferrari and Shell but as usual they are out to lunch. The cars will arrive back in Shanghai soon and the last report was the 30th of last month. You probably have time for a coffee before the next report, in fact you could probably harvest the crop.
arrival date / time in Shanghai? any big ceremony lined up? cars going to Zhongchun Road Ferrari/Maserati workshop in Minghang district? regards, Dilligaf
Sorry I have no info on the arrival date as yet, I will try to find out. Ferrari in China are not that helfull to us guys. In fact we are always the last to know anything as the press usually release overseas first and to prvious buyers (from them). And any events are aimed at the previous customers. (I imported my own car from Dubai). Judge, Spicy and myself approached them to start the China Ferrari Club right at the begining of this China episode. And allthough I spoke the top guys and they showed a little interest there were never any repies to our emails. I see that now there is a Shanghai Ferrari Club started here, though non of us have been invited to visit or join it. So for now we are the unofficial Ferrari Club of China but we only have three members with four F cars. however three of them are in the US. Will try to keep you posted
The cars arrive back in Shanghai on the 29th where there will be a media event, located at the corner of Centry Park by the science museum. I have no time nor do the dealer yet. The cars are at present in Wenzhou. I live about 1km from the science museum so I will try to catch some of it.
Please write about the finish. You have done a great job, Michael Collins, and now we need the end of it. Please! 12 cylinders or walk.
Sorry the source I was using has dried up for some reason. Below is the link for the official version. Sorry http://www.ferrariworld.com/FWorld/fw/events/chinaTour/index.jsp?language=en
horrible conditions for the cars...at least it wont be ruining a good paint job, cuz those ones are discusting...
Thank you for what you did for this. I enjoyed your comments and reporting. It was amazing. I stopped at the dealership in San Diego and they knew nothing of this trip. Thanks again for what you have done. 12 cylinders of walk.
G'Day, one of the 612 Ferrari is parked in the Shanghai service centre (Zhongchun Road). Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the info. I just got back to Dalian from Malaysia. Should have taken the direct flight to SH instead of SZ-DL...Any idea how long the car will be there ?
G'Day, no idea how long the car going to be there, took the pic on Sunday afternoon (13/11) while cruising around one of my motorbikes. a red F430 and couple of Maserati on display in the showroom / service center. best regards, Dilligaf PS: Lamborghini has opend a showroom in Shanghai not far from the Hilton / Equatorial hotels on Yanan Road. Lamborghini in Shanghai Jin Jing (Shanghai Daily Newspaper) 2005-11-09 Beijing Time ITALIAN sports car firm Automobili Lamborghini SpA opened its third dealership in China yesterday, but its first in Shanghai, the country's most promising luxury car market. It is also the first dealership in China showcasing all Lamborghini models currently being sold. "Shanghai is the most promising market in China as more wealthy people live here because it is the commercial center of China," said Stephan Winkelmann, president and chief executive off icer of Lamborghini SpA. The showroom on Yan'an Road W. displays all four Lamborghini models including the newest Gallardo Spyder, which will go into production next year after its debut at the Frankfurt Motor show this year. "We hope we can sell 20 cars every year initially," Winkelmann said. Lamborghini, owned by Germany's Volkswagen AG, would import all cars through Volkswagen (China) Investment Co Ltd, the company said. A gentleman, surnamed Fang, was awarded a certificate by Lamborghini after he was the first in Shanghai to purchase a Gallardo Spyder. It cost a fair bit of coin at 3.5 million yuan (US$431,565). Competitors such as Ferrari have already built a sales network across the country. Ferrari Maserati Group teamed up with two other companies to set up Fer rari Maserati Cars International Trading Co Ltd last August to handle sales in China. It has 10 sales and service points nationwide. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The last report I think!! Full success for Ferrari's 15,000 Red Miles Tour - Shanghai glowing red to welcome Ferrari Ferrari's 15,000 Red Miles Tour, an unprecedented adventure which has seen two 612 Scaglietti travel all over China, is concluding today in Shanghai, in front of Fiat Group's Vice President John Elkann and a numerous group of Ferrari's lovers and supporters. On such an occasion, Shanghai's architectural symbol, the Oriental Pearl Tower, a 468 metre high amazing building, lights up in red to celebrate the end of the tour as well as the first year of Ferrari's presence in China. Last year Ferrari received an important award: for the first time an Italian brand was given the title of "Renowned Brand" by the Chinese Office for Trade Marks. Honoured by this important tribute, President Luca di Montezemolo has declared: "I dreamt of Ferrari being in China since 1993 even though the restrictions on imports were enormous. Today the situation has changed and Ferrari now has its own trading organisation with complete customer support, and may as well aspire to turn China into one of the six leading world markets. Shanghai's tribute to Ferrari, after New York's Empire State Building was lit up in red last year, confirms once again Ferrari's capability of arising passion all over the world". The 15,000 Red Miles Tour is a formidable challenge, never before undertaken by any automotive company: 51 Chinese and international journalists alternating at the steering wheel, more than 24,000 kilometres done, of which 1,600 on very rough roads, 5,231 metres of height reached in Tibet, 45 five days travelling, 420 hours driving, up to 900 kilometres per day, 37 towns crossed; all this gone through with just two rims damaged due to the holes in the ground and two set of snow tyres for the most impervious regions. Neither a motor oil refill was needed. Notwithstanding the low quality of fuel in some areas, the often critical conditions of the roads and the astonishing heights reached, all this was realized by the two Scaglietti. Difficulties and strongly different settings, with an amount of extreme situations for climate, roads and environmental obstacles characterized this tour: starting in Shanghai, the expedition first headed north, then east towards Manchuria, and finally south-west to Beijing to drive on along the Great Wall to Lanzhou. After having crossed Tibet up till Lhasa, the two Scaglietti turned west through the Gobi desert and reached Kashi, the ancient town on the Silk Way described by Marco Polo and the most continental site on earth. Driving further across the desert, they reached Urumqi and then down to the tropical region to Guangzhou, better known as Canton. Here the route turned to the most western and modern part of China till the conclusion today in Shanghai. The expedition was welcomed enthusiastically in every single town, thus confirming Ferrari's notoriety throughout the country. A plate of the Prancing Horse, as a token of friendship, was offered to local authorities, while the team brought presents and educational material in the schools. Ferrari has benefited by the precious support of Chinese Authorities and has availed herself of Fiat China's logistical assistance for the organisation of this journey, sponsored by some of her most faithful partners, such as Shell (fuel and lubricants, with specific assistance in the most difficult areas), Puma (for the team's clothing), Alcoa (technical partner and 612's aluminium chassis supplier), Pirelli (special tyres for the different stages of the tour) and Saima Avandero (cars' and spare parts' shipping). A Chinese partner as well took part in the enterprise, Xin Yu Watch & Clock, Swiss watches' main distributor in China. Two PowerDaily Iveco as a support and one Iveco 4x4 VM40.10 for technical assistance, tyres' and spare parts' transport and two Fiat Palio Weekend for video and photo shooting.
I think I got them direct from Chinese press (Shanghai) or Ferrari. Could be misstaken. Excuse my lack of pictures to supply everyone, but emergency came up. I actually only viewed a little more of it here on T.V.
