Ferrari celebrates 20 years in China with exhibition & special edition 458 Italia's

The brand exhibition is set to take place in a few weeks. The Ferrari Exhibition will cover 9,500 square feet and will last for three years. It will be featuring some of the best Ferrari supercars from the Maranello Museum divided into five topics, including Ferrari in China, Green Technology, Product, Design and Racing.

Along with current and past Ferrari icons, visitors will gain first-hand experience with a rich selection of images and videos made just for this exhibition.

This shows what an important market China has become for the Italian supercar marquee and how much has changed. The first Ferrari, a 348 TS, was ordered in Beijing 20 years ago.

Another important element for the 20th anniversary celebration is the introduction of the 458 Italia special edition. Only 20 of these 458 Italia's will be built, and will obviously only be the Chinese market.

The car’s exterior is characterized by unique Chinese elements and is finished in a brand new color, Marco Polo Red, specially made for this exclusive Ferrari. (Of course mostly all Ferrari's are exclusive.) These 458 Italia's will be presented at the inauguration of the Ferrari Exhibition at the Shanghai Expo Park’s Italian Center.

The design inspiration came from the longma theme. This is an old Chinese idiom which means “the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse”. The Dragon is a powerful symbol in Chinese culture, which stands for courage, passion and success. (The Chinese believe children born in the 'Year of the Dragon' do better in life.)

The most eye-catching element of the special edition 458 Italia exterior is the golden dragon on the front bonnet, which is offset by gold and black stripes that symbolizes a racing track. The image of the soaring dragon and the prancing horse on the front hood go well together, and is the finishing touch to the car’s overall design. The symbols reflect both Chinese culture as well as Ferrari’s constant innovation.

The unique Ferrari design is enhanced by a gold finish on all four rims and the aeroelastic winglets. The interior also reflects the unique longma spirit and the celebration of Chinese culture with gold embroidery on the car’s head rests, while the engine start button on each of the 20 cars is inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for ‘start’, and a 20th Anniversary Special Edition is on the dash.

Better get a plane ticket to China!