Ferrari Maserati North America has announced the opening of Penske Wynn Ferrari Maserati, located on the ground floor of the newly opened Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club. The dealership will be operated by UnitedAuto Group, Inc.

Scheduled to attend the opening are Amedeo Felisa, Deputy Managing Director of Ferrari SpA; Maurizio Parlato, President and CEO of Ferrari North America; Steve Wynn, Chairman of the Board/Chief Executive Officer of Wynn Resorts and Roger Penske, Chairman of UAG. The new retail point is a direct result of the allure of Ferrari and Maserati brands and the strong sales success of Maserati since returning to the United States market.

The showroom will display each brand separately and measures approximately 10,000 square feet (950 square metres). Within the retail facility there are five rotating turntables displaying new Ferrari and Maserati models. Of particular note is a state-of-the-art media room which allows customers to see exactly how their car will look while they are placing their order. The great legacy of Ferrari will be honoured by also having on display vintage cars on a regular basis.

The exclusive area for pre-owned cars is roughly double the size of the new car showroom, having the ability to display 35 cars. The service area boasts seven service bays which will support both Ferrari and Maserati. In addition, there are two full detailing bays on site. The entire facility will employ 28 employees, with store hours extended to 10 pm.

Adjacent to the dealership Ferrari will open the first official Ferrari Store in North America. Located within the hotel as part of a collection of upscale retailers, the 3,500 square foot (325 square metres) facility will exclusively offer the full range of original Ferrari products, including racing memorabilia, clothing, leather goods, high quality time pieces, scale models, toys and sports goods. Items have a universal appeal, ideal for customers of the marque, the general public, fans and children – who have an entire area set aside for products just for them. Apart from a place to buy, the idea is that the Store will become a meeting point for all fans and enthusiasts of the Prancing Horse from around the world.

The Las Vegas Ferrari Store follows other locations recently opened around the globe, the most recent being in Rome and Shanghai in China. The first store was opened in the spring of 2003 just across from the historic Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy. Other locations are in the Bologna and Milano-Malpensa airports in Italy.

Technology and reminders of past successes mean that visitors can immerse themselves in the most exciting moments of the company's history. Also on display are parts of the Granturismo cars, including full engines and other elements of Ferrari design. The Store is unusual in that it is an innovative commercial space, one that has been planned to become a point of reference for all Prancing Horse fans. Inside over one thousand articles will be on display which will appeal to the whole range of Ferrari fans, from the youngest to those who have memories of Ferrari from decades past.

Steven Wynn’s highly anticipated $2.7 billion resort opened on 28 April. The 217-acre resort (approximately 90 hectares), located across from the Fashion Show mall and adjacent to the Sands Expo, offers more than 2,700 guest rooms and suites in its gleaming 50-storey bronze tower. The rooms start at 630 sq. feet and boast floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the property’s golf course, mountain and lake or the Las Vegas Strip.  

Art connoisseurs can get up close with some of Europe’s and America’s finest masterworks from the 16th to 20th century at the resort’s gallery, drawn from the private art collection of Steve and Elaine Wynn, featuring significant works by Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and others.

Wynn Las Vegas offers 75,000 square feet (about 7,000 square metres) of retail space with designer retail shops such as Cartier, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Oscar de la Renta, co-branded ventures such as Wynn & Co. Jewelry and Watches, and Wynn LVNV. An abundance of culinary choices awaits resort visitors, with a team of top award-winning chefs guiding 22 food and beverage outlets specialising in fine Italian, French, Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, American and other fare.  The resort is also distinguished by the Las Vegas Strip’s only 18-hole golf course. 

2004 became the 12th consecutive record year of sales for Ferrari North America ending with over 1440 units retailed versus 1350 the previous year, with an increase of 7%. This success is no surprise, given that it was the 50th Anniversary for Ferrari in the United States and that the North American branch of the house of the Prancing Horse hosted a number of special events, and took part in tributes to its special connection to this market.
 

Celebrations began with the first ever world unveiling of a Ferrari on American soil, continued with the Empire State Building being lit in Rosso Corsa in Ferrari’s honour in April, and with the historic collection of approximately 2000 Ferraris over the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend in mid August – continuing into the November opening of the Park Avenue Corporate Showroom.

North America is the most important market for Ferrari, representing approximately 30% of the marque’s worldwide sales. Ferrari’s top car market in North America is California, which accounts for 27% of sales, followed by the Northeast with 16%, Florida with 12%, Texas and Chicago with 7% each.

The Ferrari dealer network has grown in 2005, expanding to 36 dealers (32 in the United States, four in Canada) with the addition of Las Vegas and the recently opened location in Silicon Valley, California.

Ferrari North America Inc., located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is headed by Maurizio Parlato, President and CEO. Ferrari North America is the sole importer and distributor of Ferraris in North America and is responsible for all organisation and operating requirements for the marque in the United States and Canada, including the technical training and spare parts service. Ferrari North America has a retail facility on the West Coast of the United States, Ferrari of San Francisco.

Ferrari North America organises a number of special events and racing activities each year to give Ferrari owners the opportunity to share together the passion of driving their special automobiles. This year Ferrari North America will host its 7th Challenge Rally in California’s Napa Valley from 8-13 August. In 2004, as in 2003, the Rally reached its limit for participation with 50 Ferraris – everything from historic Ferraris from the 1950s to modern super cars such as the Enzo Ferrari. The 2005 route will feature the finest roads, in this historic wine making region of California, sometimes closed to the public for timed special sessions. The rally ends again in Monterey just in time for the start of the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance and surrounding festivities.

In its 12th consecutive year the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli has established itself as one of the most respected and professional Gentleman Racing series in the world of automobile competition. Drivers now compete using the 360 Challenge, the third challenge model since this series was first started in Europe in 1993. This is the first Challenge car that has been built as a pure racing car, while its predecessors – the 348 and the 355 were both street cars fitted with a racing kit. Technical support at the racetrack is given by authorised Ferrari dealerships around the country to help ensure the highest standards of race preparation.

In 2005 the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli racing series also celebrates its 12th consecutive season in North America with six events scheduled throughout the year, and the final event again hosted in Italy in October to wrap the season with two days of racing with participants from all over the world. The North American events will take place at Fontana, California, on the first weekend in April; Las Vegas, Nevada, in May; Montreal in support of the Formula One race in mid-June; Mt. Tremblant, Canada, in late June; Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, in July; Road America, Wisconsin, in August.

For the ninth consecutive season, in 2005 the Shell Historic Challenge will see historic Ferraris and Maseratis racing at some of the most prestigious American and Canadian racetracks. There are five events scheduled for 2005, four of them concomitant with the Challenge races: Fontana, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park and Road America. The season debut was held in January at the Moroso racetrack in Florida, as part of the Cavallino Classic weekend.

UnitedAuto, under Chairman Roger Penske, is the second largest publicly traded automotive retailer in the United States based on total revenues. UnitedAuto, as of 30 September, 2004, has pursued a strategy based on internal growth from its existing dealerships, as well as from strategic acquisitions, operates 145 franchises in the United States and 101 franchises internationally, primarily in the United Kingdom. UnitedAuto dealerships sell new and used vehicles, and market a complete line of after-market automotive products and services. In addition to the Las Vegas retail store, UnitedAuto has six other Ferrari Maserati dealerships across the United States.

Wynn Resorts is traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker WYNN and, since December 2004, it has been part of the NASDAQ-100 Index.