Ferrari celebrates 60 years in the U.S. with ultra-exclusive model

By Stephen Edelstein Published September 12, 2014

This year marks Ferrari’s 60th anniversary in the U.S., and the company isn’t limiting the celebration to champagne toasts.

Outgoing chairman Luca di Montezmolo announced that Ferrari will build a special-edition car to commemorate the anniversary. Only 10 examples will be built.

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The car will be unveiled October 12 at a special event in Los Angeles. Called “Race Through The Decades: 1954-2014,” it will also feature 60 historic Ferraris in a landscape where these Italian marvels are about as common as Toyota Camrys.

No other details have been released, but the special edition will likely be a modified version of one of Ferrari’s current models. Back in 2005, the carmaker showed some love to the U.S. market with the Superamerica, a convertible version of the 575M Maranello, of which 559 examples were built.

Related: Record-breaking Ferrari 250 GTO sells for $38 million at Pebble Beach

Ferarri’s recently released financial results show why U.S. buyers are getting another special edition to drool over.

The U.S. remains Ferrari’s largest market, with 1,062 cars sold in the first six months of 2014. That’s an increase of 13 percent, proving the recession really is over, for some people at least.

The 10 60th anniversary cars will precede a flood of new and updated models, as Ferrari implements its new product strategy.

While the brand plans to cap production to maintain exclusivity, but will still launch one all-new or significantly updated model annually for the next few years.

For those not well connected enough to secure one of the 60th anniversary cars, a face-lifted 458 with a turbocharged engine is reportedly on deck.

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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Costco, known for its discount gas stations, has left EV drivers in need of juicing up out in the cold for the past 12 years. But that seems about to change now that the big-box retailer is putting its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington.
After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the wholesaler’s U.S. EV-charging plans might very well resemble those of rival Walmart, which last year announced it was building its own EV fast-charging network in addition to the arrangements it already had with Electrify America.

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