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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi unveils its attractions

Friday, July 16th, 2010
Ferrari World

Ferrari World

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi unveils today its attractions, designed to tell the Ferrari story, passion, excellence, performance and technical innovation to families and fans of all ages. More than 20 rides will offer thrills and amusement for a complete Ferrari experience.

It seems as though there will be plenty to do there (if you’re a kid), but they could do with some decent renders to sell it! Formula Rossa and G-Force sound fun and the Junior Grand Prix will be a highlight for the kids…

RIDES & ATTRACTIONS:

  • FORMULA ROSSA. The world’s fastest roller coaster, reaching speeds of 240 km/h.
  • SPEED OF MAGIC. A fantasy 4-D journey following the adventures of a young boy as he travels through a kaleidoscopic dreamscape of natural and phenomenal environments, where no Ferrari has gone before.
  • MADE IN MARANELLO. A virtual trip behind the walls of the famous Ferrari factory in Maranello, taking guests through the process of making a Ferrari.
  • V12. An exciting flume ride to the heart of a 12 cylinder engine.
  • G-FORCE. A thrilling tower ride that will shoot thrill-seekers through the red roof and 62 metres in the air before plummeting back to Earth, experiencing the actual G-force of a Ferrari, in a seat directly inspired by the Ferrari Enzo.
  • SCUDERIA CHALLENGE. Cutting edge racing simulators similar to those used by the drivers of the Scuderia Ferrari in training.
  • VIAGGIO IN ITALIA. A virtual aerial voyage over Italy’s cities and main monuments, mountains and coasts pursuing a Ferrari.
  • FIORANO GT CHALLENGE. A unique duelling rollercoaster with Ferrari F430 Spiders twisting and turning through tight corners on a sprint to the finish line.
  • BELL’ITALIA. A miniature recreation of Italy’s most famous locations, from the picturesque Portofino and the Amalfi Coast to Monza racetrack, the Colosseum in Roma, Venezia and Maranello, the heartland and home of Ferrari.
  • PADDOCK. A re-creation of the Ferrari motor home including garages, transporters & hospitality suites with interactive shows offering fans a taste of the true action behind the scenes on a Grand Prix race day.
  • THE PIT WALL. An interactive theatre that allows guests to test their judgment in realistic racing scenarios.
  • GALLERIA FERRARI. The world’s largest Ferrari gallery outside Maranello, showcasing the most exclusive range of classic and contemporary Ferrari’s from all over the world.
  • JUNIOR GT. A driving school for children with expert instruction where they will drive reduced scale F430 GT Spiders on an equipped driving course.
  • JUNIOR GRAND PRIX. After the Junior GT driving experience, budding F1™ drivers can enjoy the race track in scaled down Ferrari F1™ racers.
  • THE RACING LEGENDS. A ride through Ferrari’s greatest racing moments starting from the first races all the way to today’s F1 victories.
  • DRIVING WITH CHAMPIONS. An interactive 3-D show which follows the adventures of a young engineer who is taken on the ride of a lifetime with a racing champion on his first day working at the Ferrari factory
  • CINEMA MARANELLO. Ferrari World’s own theatre showing ‘Coppa di Sicilia’, a short film that tells one of the many inspiring stories from the life of the legendary Enzo Ferrari.
  • JUNIOR TRAINING CAMP. An interactive play area for children where they can engage with a waterless car wash, become custom ‘constructors’, climb up the grandstand, pilot remote cars, paddle their own miniature Ferrari and play with an F1™ car made of soft, guest-friendly foam.
  • CAROUSEL. Featuring never-before-seen Ferrari prototypes based on winning designs from a Ferrari competition.
  • DINING & SHOPPING. A range of concept restaurants and cafes offering authentic Italian dining experiences, in addition to unique shopping locations.

BMW exhibit the new Jeff Koons M3 GT2 Art Car at the Pompidou Centre in Paris

Saturday, June 5th, 2010
Artist Jeff Koons with the BMW M3b GT2 Art Car

Artist Jeff Koons with the BMW M3b GT2 Art Car

Historic BMW Art Cars. I'll take the M1 please...

Historic BMW Art Cars. I'll take the M1 please...

The revered BMW Art Cars are some of the most desirable models around – and 2010 will see a new ‘commission’ by BMW. As reposted in the GDC News page here, BMW have given American artist Jeff Koons a new BMW M3 GT2 to create a piece of moving automotive art.

As the Bavarian company did with the 1977 Roy Lichtenstein 320 Le Mans, BMW chose the Pompidou Centre to ‘exhibit’ this latest Art Car. The 500bhp, V8-engined coupé will be driven by Andy Priaulx (GB), Dirk Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner (DE) at the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours, to be held over the weekend of 12/13 June. It will be joined by another, more traditionally finished works BMW driven by Jörg Müller (DE), Augusto Farfus (BR) and Uwe Alzen (DE).

“These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy,” said Koons. “You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself ‘transcend with its energy’. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power.”

This car will certainly look good at La Sarthe, and Gentleman Drivers Club Members will be able to see this car up close next weekend with our fabulous VIP Club at Le Mans. We’ll post some Le Mans images on the Gallery page as soon as we can.

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa designed by Zagato is unveiled at Concorso d’Eleganza

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa designed by Zagato

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa designed by Zagato

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa designed by Zagato

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa designed by Zagato

The second notable automotive showcase at Concorso d’Eleganza, Ville d’Este, was the Zagato-designed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, which also won the award for best concept car at the event.

Created by Zagato in Milan it is a tribute celebrating Alfa’s 100th anniversary. The concept is equipped with Alfa 8C Competizione’s V8 with manually adjustable engine calibration and linked to a six-speed sequential gearbox.

The setup is a combination between a carbon fibre body and a rear wheel drive tubular structure. The whole vehicle weighs only 850kg.

The racer is outfitted with 18 inch wheels with 245/645/R18 Pirelli PZero tires at the front and 285/645/R18 at the rear. The TZ3 Corsa sprints from 0 to 100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of over 300km/h.

I am a big fan of Zagato, but whilst this design brings back memories from its 60s-era predecessors (TZ1 and TZ2) it is not, in my opinion, as beautiful as the car that donated the power plant – the 8C Competizione. A missed opportunity maybe?