The official Ferrari distributors in three countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand recently put their hats together and jointly celebrated their 10th anniversary here with an activity-packed weekend of track and road drives, a gala dinner and the unveiling of the new Ferrari F8 Tributo.
Naza Italia, Ital Auto Pte Ltd and Cavallino Motors Co. Ltd are the official importers and distributors of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand respectively.
On April 19, over 100 Ferrari owners and their cars from the three countries made their way to the 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala Dinner at the St. Regis Hotel, where the new Ferrari F8 Tributo was launched. The launch marks the first time the new Ferrari has been seen in Southeast Asia following its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5.
The two-seater mid-rear engined Berlinetta is an homage to both the model’s uncompromising layout and to the engine that powers it – with a massive 720 cv and a record specific power output of 185 cv/l, it is the most powerful V8 in the Prancing Horse’s history for a non-special series car and sets the benchmark not just for turbos, but for engines across the board. The 3902 cc V8 won “Best Engine” in the International Engine of the Year awards for three years running in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and, in addition, in 2018, was awarded the title of the best engine of the last two decades.
More excitement ensued on April 20 with a lifestyle drive to the Sultan of Selangor’s palace for a visit to His Royal Highness Car Museum followed by a drive to Putrajaya, which saw a huge convoy of 100 Ferraris. Ferrari owners paraded through Persiaran Putrajaya, showcasing a spectacular exhibition of various Ferrari cars from 3 different countries before adjourning to lunch at the Putrajaya Convention Centre.
A special night track event at the Sepang International Circuit was also held for the Ferrari clients. A Time Attack Challenge, sponsored by Shell V-Power Racing was organized, where prizes were given to the top 3 fastest lap times in the GT and Sportscar categories. There was also a prize given for the fastest overall lap time during the Time Attack Challenge.
On April 21, the Ferrari convoy drove to the Sepang International Circuit to catch the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia Pacific 2019 race. The Ferrari Challenge was established as a one-make series in 1993, bringing together complete track novices and drivers with prior competition experience. The series spans three regions: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
“Naza Italia is proud to have hosted the 10th Anniversary celebrations for Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The last 10 years have been wonderful and rewarding for the Ferrari brand here in Malaysia and we would like to thank our clients for their tremendous support,” said SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, Group Executive Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd.
“It is with immense pride that Ital Auto celebrates a decade of representing Ferrari and there is a double cause for joy as we were named the Best Dealer of the Year for 2018. All that is possible through the Ferrari Singapore family, who have propelled us to this achievement in this milestone year. The Prancing Horse is recognised worldwide as a symbol of dreams, emotions and excellence and Ital Auto is proud to share these values with our clients for the years to come,” commented Dato Teo Hock Seng, Executive Chairman of Komoco Holdings.
“We would like to thank our Thai Ferrari clients, the Ferrari Owners Club Thailand and guests for coming from Thailand to join the Southeast Asia drive and 10th anniversary celebrations for the first time. Thank you also for all the years of loyalty to Ferrari and continuous support for Cavallino Motors. We look forward to an exciting year ahead with Ferrari and to be of service to our clients,” said Nandhamalee Bhirombhakdi, Managing Director, Cavallino Motors Co. Ltd.
