MUMBAI, India Ferrari put the seal on its well-earned reputation for glorious road trips by completing the Magic India Discovery Tour, which put 50 journalists behind the wheels of two 612 Scagliettis on a 70-day, 8,000-plus-mile tour of the subcontinent. The closing flag-in ceremony took place at the Gateway of India here on May 7.
Only a few minor modifications were made to the Ferraris in deference to the often challenging road conditions in India: the addition of a protective aluminum underbody covering and a slight height adjustment to the suspension. With their 540-horsepower V12 engines, the 612 Scagliettis must have cut quite a figure in some parts of India.
The tour encompassed 13 "often extremely difficult" stages and 57 cities. It was sponsored by India's Tata Group and Italy's Fiat, both of which provided support vehicles, as well as Pirelli, Alcoa, component supplier OMR, Saima Avandero and most amusingly hatmaker Borsalino, which gave classic pith helmets to the journalists to wear.
Ferrari previously toured China and the Americas in similar events.
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