 All
Ferraris sold in the USA this year will carry a special logo with
the US flag, in order to celebrate what Ferrari have said is 50
years of sales in that country. The special badge combines the black
prancing horse symbol on a yellow background, with the stars and
stripes flag to create the number 50.
This has perplexed Ferrari historians whose research shows that
Ferrari sold cars in the USA long before 1954. Luigi Chinetti was
acting as the de facto Ferrari representative in the US as early
as 1948 when he sold cars to Briggs Cunningham in the East and Tommy
Lee in the West, working out of his apartment in New York.
In the 1951 Ferrari Yearbook, in the section headed "La nostra
organizzazione commerciale", Luigi Chinetti is listed as follows:
"Stati Uniti - Luigi Chinetti, 252 East 61 Street, New York
City".
There is also an advert in a 1951 copy of Road & Track
which mentions that George Joseph is the official West Coast Ferrari
distributor.
It is not known on what basis Ferrari have now issued the 50 year
anniversary badge.
Ferrari had record sales in the USA last year with 1,350 units,
13 percent more than the year before. The 612 Scaglietti will go
on sale in July. The only price announced so far is the European
one which will be €200,000 including taxes.
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