Ferrari fun park every big kid's dream
November 05, 2009
Forget Rainbow's End and your Gold Coast funparks. Disneyland? Pah, not even comparable. They're kids' stuff.
No, the only theme park that'll matter is the only one that the little tikes mightn't even get to see, due to the crush of adult fans - it's Ferrari World.
Opening in 2010 this ultimate brand homage is a dream come true that, like the spanking new grand prix track right next door, could only be funded by an oil-glutted desert kingdom - in this case, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Maranello will always be the true home of Ferrari, but this desert-surrounded fun park is destined to be a place to get the pulse of any hot-blooded tifosi up to race speed.
Coverage on Monday of the inaugural Formula One Abu Dhabi GP at the spanking new Yas Marina circuit showed but a glimpse of the adjacent fun park.
However even that pan shot of the facility's 200,000 square metre red roof - inspired by the side profile of the Ferrari GT body and carrying the largest Ferrari logo ever created - will surely whet appetites.
It and the circuit are on manmade Yas Island, which is being developed as a global tourist destination. And why not? You've got your sun, your surf, your sand. More sand ... actually, a LOT more sand.
The promoters insist Ferrari World is perfectly located. They remind it sits at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa, appealing to both tourists and the motor-sport-mad inhabitants of the United Arab Emirates alike.
And, as has been pointed out, given the region's deep attraction - and investments - in Maranello, mixed in with its bountiful wealth, the location for the world's largest indoor amusement park makes perfect sense.
Ferrari World's size is gigantic. The Benoy-designed structure stands 45 metres tall and inside there's one hectare of space. Around 35,000 tons of steel bolster the building, whose rosso corsa roof is made from metal and glass which is designed to reduce heat and glare.
Attractions start with the world's fastest rollercoaster, which will hit more than 200kmh and will rise 62 metres through the roof and back down again. The rollercoaster is designed to emulate the G-force a Ferrari Formula One driver would experience.
Next stop would have to be the range of state-of-the-art racing simulators using a similar system to the Ferrari racing team. While the landscape might be short of water, the park isn't - there's a flume ride to take you on a water-filled journey through a 599 engine.
After all that, punters can opt for an aerial voyage over Italy following a Ferrari.
You can grab your dinner at a pair of top tier Italian cuisine restaurants for the full experience and once you're full of pasta and vanilla icecream drizzled with balsamic vinegar (no, really, it's a Maranello special), can stroll over to the many shops selling Ferrari-badged memorabilia.
The ultimate attraction, for big kids at least, are those involving Ferrari's road and race cars. Ferrari's latest, such as the just unveiled 458 Italia, are going to be available for track driving, albeit with professionally-taught driving instructors.
Exactly how much has gone into Ferrari World is unknown. It is thought that the entire Yas complex, cost of creating the island included, represents a spend of $38 billion. The park is owned by a property development, management and investment company.
Meantime, latest news from Maranello is that Ferrari is working on an electrically driven 4x4 system for its future models.
The various alternatives for the hybrid system were revealed earlier this year but Ferrari has now told Britain's Autocar magazine the final hybrid design will be used for front engined GT models and will drive the front wheels.
The first models equipped with the system will not appear before 2014, the magazine says. The aim of the 4x4 system - which will use motors mounted inboard of the front wheels - will be to improve handling rather than improve fuel economy.
Insiders say that using torquey electric motors to power the front wheels will offer significant improvements in acceleration and much improved cornering prowess, because the torque delivery to each front wheel can be carefully controlled.
Also of interest, perhaps, is that a 599 with a one-off cracked glaze paint job pattern designed to mimic the famed Ge Liln porcelain of China's Song Dynasty has sold at auction in that country for $2 million. The car was decorated by a leading Chinese artist, Lu Hao.
What this means to you: Start saving to live the dream.
No, the only theme park that'll matter is the only one that the little tikes mightn't even get to see, due to the crush of adult fans - it's Ferrari World.
Opening in 2010 this ultimate brand homage is a dream come true that, like the spanking new grand prix track right next door, could only be funded by an oil-glutted desert kingdom - in this case, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Maranello will always be the true home of Ferrari, but this desert-surrounded fun park is destined to be a place to get the pulse of any hot-blooded tifosi up to race speed.
Coverage on Monday of the inaugural Formula One Abu Dhabi GP at the spanking new Yas Marina circuit showed but a glimpse of the adjacent fun park.
However even that pan shot of the facility's 200,000 square metre red roof - inspired by the side profile of the Ferrari GT body and carrying the largest Ferrari logo ever created - will surely whet appetites.
It and the circuit are on manmade Yas Island, which is being developed as a global tourist destination. And why not? You've got your sun, your surf, your sand. More sand ... actually, a LOT more sand.
The promoters insist Ferrari World is perfectly located. They remind it sits at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa, appealing to both tourists and the motor-sport-mad inhabitants of the United Arab Emirates alike.
And, as has been pointed out, given the region's deep attraction - and investments - in Maranello, mixed in with its bountiful wealth, the location for the world's largest indoor amusement park makes perfect sense.
Ferrari World's size is gigantic. The Benoy-designed structure stands 45 metres tall and inside there's one hectare of space. Around 35,000 tons of steel bolster the building, whose rosso corsa roof is made from metal and glass which is designed to reduce heat and glare.
Attractions start with the world's fastest rollercoaster, which will hit more than 200kmh and will rise 62 metres through the roof and back down again. The rollercoaster is designed to emulate the G-force a Ferrari Formula One driver would experience.
Next stop would have to be the range of state-of-the-art racing simulators using a similar system to the Ferrari racing team. While the landscape might be short of water, the park isn't - there's a flume ride to take you on a water-filled journey through a 599 engine.
After all that, punters can opt for an aerial voyage over Italy following a Ferrari.
You can grab your dinner at a pair of top tier Italian cuisine restaurants for the full experience and once you're full of pasta and vanilla icecream drizzled with balsamic vinegar (no, really, it's a Maranello special), can stroll over to the many shops selling Ferrari-badged memorabilia.
The ultimate attraction, for big kids at least, are those involving Ferrari's road and race cars. Ferrari's latest, such as the just unveiled 458 Italia, are going to be available for track driving, albeit with professionally-taught driving instructors.
Exactly how much has gone into Ferrari World is unknown. It is thought that the entire Yas complex, cost of creating the island included, represents a spend of $38 billion. The park is owned by a property development, management and investment company.
Meantime, latest news from Maranello is that Ferrari is working on an electrically driven 4x4 system for its future models.
The various alternatives for the hybrid system were revealed earlier this year but Ferrari has now told Britain's Autocar magazine the final hybrid design will be used for front engined GT models and will drive the front wheels.
The first models equipped with the system will not appear before 2014, the magazine says. The aim of the 4x4 system - which will use motors mounted inboard of the front wheels - will be to improve handling rather than improve fuel economy.
Insiders say that using torquey electric motors to power the front wheels will offer significant improvements in acceleration and much improved cornering prowess, because the torque delivery to each front wheel can be carefully controlled.
Also of interest, perhaps, is that a 599 with a one-off cracked glaze paint job pattern designed to mimic the famed Ge Liln porcelain of China's Song Dynasty has sold at auction in that country for $2 million. The car was decorated by a leading Chinese artist, Lu Hao.
What this means to you: Start saving to live the dream.
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