It's a testament to car culture in general that an automaker believes it can build a theme park based on its brand and that people will come. Ferrari is one of the few names with enough draw to make such a venture work, and Abu Dhabi is perhaps the only place in the world with enough real estate and wealthy patrons to keep it running. Hence the Ferrari theme park, which we've spoken of at length in years past, has laid the first brick of construction on the 2,500-acre Yas Island it will call home. Yesterday a "Foundation Stone Ceremony" was held on the site where a time capsule was buried containing a connecting rod and piston from the 2007 F1 World Champion Ferrari car, as well as the first rendering of the theme park that was commissioned.
For those who think Ferrari merely sold its brand to a construction company that will paint some old Disney rides Rossa Red, consider that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was on hand at the ceremony yesterday to press the flesh with fellow investors. Aside from being a theme park with various sorts of Ferrari-themed entertainment to enjoy (we call front car on the Enzo Coaster!), the facility will have its very own circuit built right in its center that will host driving schools, as well as the first Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix in 2009.
Source
Ferrari theme park lays the first stone... and it's red - Autoblog
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