Ferrari Unveils Two Special Project Cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ferrari logo

Photo by Jannis Lucas on Unsplash

As the owner of the San Francisco-based GMP Cars, LLC, Geoffrey “Geoff” Palermo oversees a network of luxury automobile service centers throughout the Bay Area. In addition to managing eight business locations, Geoffrey Palermo serves as a member of the Board of the Ferrari Owners Group and follows Ferrari racing events around the world.

The Goodwood Motor Circuit, a UK racing circuit with a 50-year history, recently held its annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, which showcased several different Ferrari models. One of the most talked-about moments of the festival was when Ferrari unveiled two new special project cars to the public for the first time.

The first, commissioned by Hong Kong entrepreneur TK Mak, was the Ferrari P80/C. Based on the 488 GT3 chassis, the P80/C project car enjoyed the longest development time of any Ferrari one-off to date.

Ferrari also unveiled the one-off SP3JC, which was commissioned by Talacrest owner John Collins. The SP3JC was based on the Ferrari F12tdf’s chassis and running gear and resembles the open-air motoring experience of Ferrari’s V12-engine spiders, which debuted in the 1950s.

In addition to the special project cars, Festival of Speed attendees had the chance to watch antique racing specimens in action, such as the 1950 166 MM Barchetta, the 1953 250 MM, and the 1962 250 GTO.

BMW Reports Strong Sales Growth for First Half of 2019

Business newspaper
image: unsplash.com

As the owner of GMP Cars, LLC, Geoffrey “Geoff” Palermo manages a growing automotive business that includes eight exotic vehicle restoration and repair shops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of its business expansion plans, Geoffrey Palermo’s company recently acquired German Collision, which is San Francisco County's only certified BMW repair shop.

One of the most popular luxury car brands, BMW recently reported strong sales growth in 2019. Over the first half of the year, the company saw car sales rise 0.8 percent worldwide. With more than 1.25 million BMWs delivered to buyers, the first two quarters of 2019 set a company sales record for the first half of the year. In addition, the month of June broke records for the company, with more than 203,523 units sold, the most ever in the month of June.

The positive sales results are partially attributed to the rollout of new models, said Pieter Nota, member of the BMW AG Board of Management. The new X family vehicles are among the best-selling models, with sales figures for those models up more than 23 percent compared to the first half of 2018.

Three of the Most Prominent Car Shows in the US

Ferrari parked for a show

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Formerly holding leadership roles in the hospitality sector, Geoffrey "Geoff" Palermo founded GMP Cars, LLC, in 2016 and now manages eight collision-repair shops in California's Bay Area. Beyond managing these shops, Geoffrey Palermo enjoys racing Ferraris as part of the Ferrari Challenge series and attending various car shows.

There is no shortage of car show options in the US for classic, luxury, and even offbeat automobile enthusiasts. Below are three prominent shows to consider attending:

1. Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - The premier event of the annual Monterey Car Week in California, the Concours takes place on the third Sunday in August at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Because of the event's reputation and popularity, it has been known to feature product reveals from prominent manufacturers.

2. Woodward Dream Cruise - The Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit attracts the largest gathering of classic cars in any one place, as more than 40,000 are on display during the third Saturday of August. In addition, more than a million people attend a parade-like showcase of the vehicles as they cruise Woodward Avenue.

3. HooptieCon - Launched in 2018, this event is already earning distinction as the "ComicCon of cars" for its diverse and unique selection of vehicles. In addition to pre-1965 traditional hot rods, it attracts and celebrates "the oddball, mundane, and truly awful of the automotive world." The 2019 event featured two separate shows, one on the West Coast in March and the other on the East Coast in June.