The result of cutting-edge production and assembly
techniques, the new car’s the all-aluminium construction
reduces its weight by 40% and gives it excellent torsional
rigidity. In addition to this, the 612 Scaglietti’s
near-perfect weight distribution (46% front and 54% rear)
means that it offers both the high performance driving of a
rear-engined car and the roomy versatility of a front-engined
layout.
The CST
electronic stability and traction control system enhances
the 612 Scaglietti’s dynamic handling even further. This is
the first time the system has been used in a Ferrari and it
guarantees optimal performance in tandem with complete
safety. Its imposing 65° V12 engine was developed using
Ferrari’s most advanced racing technologies and punches out
a maximum of 540 hp at 7,250 rpm. The
Pininfarina-designed 612 Scaglietti was named in honour of
Sergio Scaglietti, the legendary Modenese coachbuilder who
created some of the most beautiful cars to come out of
Maranello in the early years of Enzo Ferrari’s extraordinary
reign.
The route and main stages
The route begins and ends in Shanghai and is divided into 11
main stages which will also act as the crew changeover
points. The first stage sees the expedition leave Shanghai
bound for Beijing, a 3,000-kilometre, seven-day journey
away. En route it will take in the city of Shenyang at the
very north-eastern tip of China near the border with
Mongolia.
The second major
stage takes the cars along the Great Wall of China from
Beijing to Lanzhou, a 2,100 km dash over four days. At
Lanzhou, the cars begin their descent into south-western
China which will culminate in a very tough stretch at
altitudes of over 4,000 m and take them into the Tibetan
capital, Lhasa, after a seven-day drive, on 19th of
September. From there the expedition will retrace its steps
as far as Goldmud where it will turn north-west, stopping
off at the northernmost tip of the route in the city of
Urumqi, over 2,700 km from Lhasa. Next the cars head for
Kashi, home to one of the most famous silk markets
encountered by Marco Polo on his travellers. This time the
leg will be a “mere” 1,400 km, to be covered in three days.
From Kashi the
expedition turns back towards the east bound for Jiayuguan,
2,500 km away, which it will reach in six days. From there
the cars will drive down to the south-east coast through to
the major city of Chongqing (2,000 km to be covered in six
days) and then on to Guangzhou (Canton), a further 2,000 km
away. After this they begin the home run, via Wenzhou (1,500
km from Canton), back to Shanghai, where they are expected
to arrive on the evening of October 29th.
The sponsors
Shell is a major international group with companies in over
140 countries worldwide. Its activities span everything from
natural gas and oil exploration and production to chemical
derivatives, renewable energies, industrial trading and much
more. Shell manages around 56,000 service stations
worldwide, serving over 25 million customers daily. It is
Ferrari’s partner both for its production cars and in F1.
Pirelli is a
group with a long history stretching back over a century.
The work done by Pirelli Lab in the phototonic, broadband
and new materials fields as well as its MIRS (Modular
Integrated Robotized System) for tyre manufacture are just
two examples of the Group's technological excellence in
action. Pirelli has 22 tyre factories in 10 countries and is
one of the world's foremost high performance car tyre
companies. It will be opening a factory in China shortly
also. Alcoa is the
world’s leading producer of primary aluminium, fabricated
aluminium and aluminium products. It is present in all of
the main sectors of the aluminium industry. Alcoa supplies
its products to the aerospace, automobile, packaging,
building and commercial transportation industries. It offers
an all-round design, planning, engineering and production
service to it clients in the industrial markets. Alcoa is
present in 43 countries worldwide and employees a workforce
of 131,000 people. It builds the 612 Scaglietti and F430
aluminium chassis’s for Ferrari in Modena.
Puma is the
global athletic brand that successfully fuses influences
from sport, lifestyle and fashion. Puma’s unique industry
perspective delivers the unexpected in sport lifestyle
footwear, apparel and accessories, through technical
innovation and revolutionary design. Established in
Herzogenaurach, Germany in 1948, Puma distributes athletic
footwear, apparel and accessories in over 80 countries
worldwide. It is also Ferrari’s partner for its Formula 1
team.
Saima Avandero
is the leading Italian group in the international
transportation and courier sector. It has turned logistics,
transportation and assistance network organisation into an
art form. The company manages all aspects of product
logistics for its clients (strategic management of
collection, warehousing and distribution) and also offers
the back-up of an avant-garde computerised and robotic
industrial set-up. Xin Yu Watch &
Clock The Shanghai XinYu Watch and Clock Group Ltd. is a
market leader in the wholesale and retail distribution in
the PRC of watches from internationally renowned brands. The
Group distributes watches from over 30 prestigious brands
through wholesale and an extensive retail network of over
100 luxury retail outlets in the PRC, covering most cities
and tourism locations.
Fiat Auto was
one of the great pioneers of the automotive industry,
building its first car in 1899. Since then it has turned out
over 85 million automobiles and light commercial vehicles
divided into over 400 models. Fiat Auto maintains its
presence on the international markets through three marques
renowned for their innovative content, styling and
industrial solutions: Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. The Fiat
Group also owns three representative offices and 17
companies in China. Its interests there constitute an
investment of more than $1 billion and provide employment
for almost 11,000 local people. Fiat is not only the leading
Italian investor in China it is also one of the leading
international automotive manufacturers present in the
country.
Iveco is an
international firm offering a complete range of transport
vehicles and engines. It manufactures and sells over 160,000
commercial vehicles and 430,000 engines worldwide each year.
In income terms this translates into around €9 billion.
Iveco has 49 factories in 19 countries as well as 15 R&D
centres, 31,000 employees and 844 dealerships. In 1996 it
launched a major initiative to manufacture and sell its
light commercial vehicles on the Chinese market. Today Iveco
is one of the market leaders thanks to its Daily range of
light vehicles which are built in Nanjing. It is currently
involved in three joint ventures: this constitutes an
investment of over $400 million and employs around 5,700
people.
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