Yas Marina, 30 November – The official opening took place tonight of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the first theme parked dedicated to the history and identity of the Maranello marque.
The ceremony took place in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, along with over two thousand guests: among them, Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. Representing the Maranello company were President Luca di Montezemolo, Vice-president Piero Ferrari, Managing Director Amedeo Felisa and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Team Principal Stefano Domenicali, along with the drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
The show, entitled “Power meets Elegance” took its inspiration from the history of Abu Dhabi and Ferrari and ended with an amazing firework display, which lit up the sky over the 200,000 square metre roof of the Park.
“I wish to thank everyone involved in turning this dream into reality, especially our partners and the authorities here in Abu Dhabi,” commented President Montezemolo. “Six years ago, this park was just an idea, maybe one that was a bit too ambitious: now it has become a reality. The park represents the combination of innovative technology and tradition and is aimed not just at Ferrari fans and car enthusiasts but at the whole family. Everything to do with Ferrari is here: our exclusive Grand Touring cars and our race machinery, our tradition and our culture. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is a symbol, echoing what Italy represents in the world and especially at this time we have a duty to push even harder to help keep our country’s image at a high level. We will try and do our part, as do so many people, not just entrepreneurs but also the military, researchers and those from the world of culture.
“Today is an important day because the name of Italy is joined to the biggest theme park in the world linked with the automobile and only Ferrari could pull off something like this. I hope that this structure can in some small way play a part in strengthening the links between two cultures,” concluded Montezemolo.
Already, over ten thousand people have visited the Park, where eighty six thousand square metres (out of a total of two hundred thousand) are under cover, since it opened back on the 4th November.
Source: Ferrari.com
