Prior to Ferrari's successful customization plan for the 612 Scaglietti, your best bet at having Maranello build you a one-off would be to throw your wealth around like a Sultan. The One To One Personalisation Programme has been met with enthusiasm, so Ferrari is going to offer the factory custom treatment on the 599 GTB Fiorano, as well. The official announcement will take place at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, where everyone will be packed like sardines to get a glimpse of the new Ferrari California up-close. An Atelier has also been set up in Italy to aid buyers in looking through all of the various permutations in order to come up with just the right car. The only option we're interested in is the one entitled "park a Ferrari in your driveway."
If you are lucky enough to be driving a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, you probably have the company's automated manual F1 gearbox helping you swap the cogs. With its faster-than-Schumacher shifts, the F1 tranny can make just about anyone feel like a pro. Unfortunately, it can also leave you stranded if heat build-up triggers the clutch sensor. Thus, Ferrari has instituted an official recall of all 612 Scagliettis that could be affected by this finnicky F1 gearbox. Altogether, 366 of the vehicles are being recalled to replace this sensor as well as a related cable holder and magnet that might cause difficult shifting or even complete inoperation. Only model year 2005-2007 612s are affected. If you have one of these in your garage, then you will probably be hearing from your dealer shortly.
Ferrari previously announced their One to One personalization program back at the Geneva Motor Show a few weeks ago and now it's coming to North America. One to One is for those who just can't settle for an "off the rack" Ferrari, as if there is such a thing, yet the program allows purchasers of the new 2008 612 Scaglietti to have their new toys tailored to their whims.
Beginning with the Park Avenue store in New York this week customers can work with a specialist to select the materials and accessories they want in their 612 to create a truly bespoke Italian exotic. Once the desired combinations have been chosen, the cars will be assembled in a dedicated corner of the Maranello factory. Along with the usual shrieking V-12, the latest edition of the 612 includes Ferrari's new electrochromic roof and SuperFast electro-hydraulic shifted gearbox. If you have to ask the cost... just peruse the gallery and drool.
Show-stopping new production cars and concepts were not lacking in Geneva this year. There were so many, in fact, that we struggled to take it all in. Yet while Ferrari didn't have any new models to show us, somehow we couldn't help but slow down in front of its booth as we rushed from press conference to press conference. Maybe it was the classic Daytona sitting next to the 612 Scaglietti bathed in soft light, or maybe the pair of lookers standing next to them. Guess we'll never know, but you can feast your eyes on all the sexy models in the gallery below.
What Ferrari did unveil at the Swiss show, however, was a new customization program. Called One-to-One, the program takes the catalog of options under the existing Carrozzeria Scaglietti Programme a step further. A customization studio is being built at the factory in Maranello where clients can hand-pick a wide variety of options from leather swatches to brake calipers and everything in between. The program is being launched on the 612 Scaglietti, but will assuredly be broadened to the entire range in due course. For the 612, Ferrari also announced the availability of the SuperFast robotic gearbox and a new electrochromatic glass roof that can tint and lighten at the push of a button like the folding hardtop on the limited edition Superamerica.
Ferrari has been doing a booming business of late, particularly across the pond where the UK is now the third largest consumer of the Italian thoroughbreds behind the United States and Germany. More impressive is the fact that last year Ferrari GB sold 699 cars, compared to 15 years ago when it only sold 128.
While that's all well and good for the folks from Maranello, it's becoming increasingly difficult to actually get one of Ferrari's offerings in the UK. The longest stretch is for the 599, which demands its well-to-do potential purchasers wait 36 months for the sleek V12 coupe. If you're willing to "downgrade" to the 612 Scaglietti, the wait is still two years and buyers opting for the "entry-level" F430 have to hold on to their promissory notes for up to 30 months.
