The Official Ferrari Magazine September 2008 [antikvár]

^^ ^^pimmp to the second issue of The Official Ferrari Magazine. The theme this time - language - is a diverse subject that means many different things to many different people.When it comes to communication, few companies send out as many messages to the outside world as Ferrari. The language of these messages represents the highly valued, stimulating contact with two types of people: our clients and Ferrari enthusiasts.Clients are everything to Ferrari: Enzo would never have been able to build up his little company, born of a passion for racing, if it hadn't been for these courageous individuals, ready to bet on his automobiles, buying them and taking them out on the road and onto the track.They were there too when I returned to Ferrari as President in the summer of 1992, at a crucial moment in the Company's recovery. In Monterey I met a large number of American clients who, through their enthusiasm, gave us the energy and drive to once again become champions of road and track, providing Ferrari with the happiest period in its history.To our clients we speak the language of our cars. It's a unique language, entirely 'home-grown', thanks to that powerful, advanced research centre we have always had - Formula One. And it's a language composed of style, guided by the technology of our models and by our passion. This passion is closely bound to the name Pininfarina which, from old Pinin to Sergio and then Andrea, has delivered the ideas and sophisticated quality behind our marque's stylish image.It was at the moment of the launch of the California, a car that he loved all the more - having followed every stage in its creation, from invention to completion - that Andrea, a serious and determined friend, and reassuring heir in the long relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina, found his path barred by fate. His tragic loss in a road accident has left a mark of grief on all here at Ferrari.In this issue of the magazine, we reflect on the Pininfarina family's magical gift of transforming ideas into such special cars - as testimony to our affection for papa Sergio and all the Pininfarinas.The language of Ferrari is also the language of exclusivity - an exclusivity that has become ever more pronounced. Not just through the spread of vehicle customisation - now standard for all our clients - but today, with the possibility of having truly unique models built here at Maranello. We exclusively reveal SP1, the first car to emerge from our new special projects division.Also in this issue, we guide you through Tokyo's finest cultural, leisure and shopping hotspots, according to Ferrari owners; take a look inside Ferrari's new restaurant, the latest phase in the 'Formula Uomo' project; and head to China to discover why our cars are proving so popular with the new generation of ambitious businesswomen making their mark on the country's booming economy.Turning to the world's high-profile Ferrari drivers, we talk to Hollywood director Michael Mann on the set of his film about the new California, while British radio DJ and TV broadcaster Chris Evans tells Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason why he bought another California, the 1961 model, for a record 7 million at the auction in Maranello earlier this year.I have left Formula One till last -1 am too passionate about our sport and too superstitious to talk about it before the season ends. I am delighted that readers will be able to discover, from the radio transcripts of engineers and drivers, just how delicate and complex the Grand Prix races that we see on our television screens really are. The beauty of the automobile lies in uncertainty. Proof of this is that we won't remember arguably the best race of the season - Felipe Massa's in Hungary - as a victory.But it is not always just the podium that tells us who's the best. The important thing is never to weaken, and to believe in ourselves right up to the last bend of the last Grand Prix. At Ferrari, that's just how we are.I hope you enjoy reading this magazine.Luca di Montezemolo President Ferrari