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Ferrari bids for Guinness World Record

Ferrari has no shortage of world records, usually revolving around speed and motorsport, but the company has requested an entry in the Guinness Book of World records for a new achievement - altitude. As part of its tour of China in two F612 Scagliettis, the Ferrari team have become the first people to drive a standard, road registered two wheel drive car over the 5,231 metre Tanggulashan mountain pass, on the border between Tibet and China. The combination of thin air, remoteness and tough conditions test the best 4WD cars, let alone a luxury 5.7 litre V12 320 kmh Ferrari.

The cars, driven by international journalists, reached the mountain pass easily. Despite the reduced oxygen levels available at such a high altitude, and the lower quality of fuel available in the area, the Ferrari's 5.7-litre V12 engine, performed effortlessly without any modifications. The expedition has now crossed the Tibetan plateau, one of the most isolated regions of the world, with the cars being driven for thousands of kilometres at heights of more than 3,000 metres, from Lhasa, Tibet's main city and the ancient home of the Dalai Lama.

In Lhasa, as in other cities reached by the tour, the Ferrari team was welcomed with enthusiasm by more than 200 children of a local school which received books, school equipment and toys for the children as part of the tour's programme to help schools in need. The tour started on August 29 in Shanghai and now moves on to the Gobi Desert, passing through Kashi (Kaxgar), the most remote city in the world and home of the fabulous silk market which dates from the days of Marco Polo.

©ItalianCar 06/10/05