Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

2 5 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I of their beloved brand and to enjoy fine Italian dining surrounded by priceless cars from the past and present on the edge of Ferrari’s private test track. The F8 Tributo Spider and Ferrari’s first front-engined V12 open-top car in 50 years, the 812GTS, were shown exclusively to their clients over dinner. It allowed management to build direct relationships with their customers and gave a full immersive experience that included the classic car restoration division, motorsports operation, Formula One and car club events, culminating in a motor show stand which showcased its full range of new cars. The atmosphere was buzzing as this was also the first time Ferrari had released two newmodels at the same time. And it was just for their customers. “What is important is that whenever we do something, we don’t do it for the sake of just selling cars, we have a specific objective of highlighting what it’s like to live as a Ferrari owner and it’s this experience that was introduced in Pebble Beach which we brought here to Abu Dhabi.” The opportunity to replicate the Casa on the lush grounds of the Yas Links Golf Club under the shadows of Ferrari World a few minutes away and literally across the road from the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix was too irresistible to pass up. “This is a concept that has only been implemented in the USA, so it’s been a huge effort, but the Grand Prix offered the perfect platform and a great opportunity for us to entertain clients with a pure Ferrari lifestyle atmosphere. “We wanted something that was different to a yacht party which are always popular at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but you can’t show a Ferrari there, so we needed to do something that truly reflected the full gamut of the Ferrari lifestyle.” Given the changing status of the new car market where emphasis is turning towards electrification, ride sharing and reducing emissions, maintaining the passion for exotic sports cars is becoming more challenging for manufacturers each year. The traditional performance benchmarks, while still important, are rarely enough to sell a car on their own as buyers demand more from their purchase. “The instant a person decides to buy one of our cars, they enter the Ferrari family. Usually there is a waiting time because the car is not immediately available as it has to be designed in consultation with the owners and built to order and that in itself is the first experience. “To go through the configuration and specifications of the car and maybe even our bespoke program called Tailor-Made to get pieces made just for them is a magnificent experience. They are designing their own Ferrari and