Ferrari Unveils Two Special Project Cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed

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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.

Ferrari Wins Multiple 2019 iF Design Awards

As the owner of GMP Cars, LLC, Geoffrey Palermo leads a network of luxury automobile service centers located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. A Ferrari enthusiast and amateur race car driver, Geoffrey Palermo competes as a member of the Ferrari of San Francisco team.

Ferrari was the recipient of several prestigious awards at the 2019 iF (International Forum) Design Awards held in Munich in March. Earning the exclusive iF Gold Award was the Ferrari Monza SP1, which was praised by the jury for its minimalist design and elegant lines. Envisioned as a renewal of the 1950s ‘Barchetta’ design with an open roof, the single-seat Monza SP1 expertly combines classic as well as futuristic styling, according to the jury’s reasoning.

The Monza SP1 wasn’t the only Ferrari model to receive an iF award in Munich. The Portofino, 488 Pista, and one-off SP38 also earned recognition for their uniquely beautiful looks. The iF awards confirm the success of the Ferrari Styling Centre, which continues to produce iconic and aesthetically pleasing designs that incorporate advanced performance technology.

Ferrari Announces New Challenge Series in the UK

As the owner of a company with eight locations in Northern California, Geoffrey Palermo leads GMP Cars, LLC, which is dedicated to the repair, restoration, and upgrade of exotic vehicles. Complementing his work, Geoffrey Palermo is a recreational race car driver who recently competed in the Ferrari Challenge North America, held in Austin, Texas, in 2018.

Recently, Corse Clienti (Ferrari’s customer racing division) announced the new Ferrari Challenge UK series, which will see its inaugural season in 2019. The event will be open to any UK owner of a Ferrari 488 Challenge race car and will take place on four circuits in the United Kingdom: Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Croft, and Silverstone. 

Though competitors will abide by the same regulations and rule book established for similar Ferrari Challenge events, the UK series will only require participants to secure an MSA National A license rather than an international one. The first event, the prologue and test, will take place at Brands Hatch on April 25th, followed by races 1 and 2 at the same circuit on the 18th and 19th of May. The series concludes with races 7 and 8 at Silverstone September 21-22.

The Three Most Accomplished Ferrari F1 Drivers

A member of the Ferrari Owners Group, Geoffrey Palermo serves as the owner of GMP Cars, LLC, an automotive group which maintains a portfolio of eight collision repair shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. GMP repairs, restores, and upgrades a variety of luxury vehicles, including Ferraris. Geoffrey Palermo himself is an amateur Ferrari race car driver.

Since the Monaco Grand Prix in 1950, Ferrari drivers have competed in 971 Formula 1 (F1) races. Below are the brand's three most accomplished drivers:

1. Michael Schumacher. A native of Germany, Schumacher won 72 of his 91 races while driving a Ferrari. He also registered 32 second-place and 12 third-place finishes for a total of 116 podium finishes. No other Ferrari driver has more than 55 podium finishes.

2. Niki Lauda. Although Lauda, who hails from Austria, ranks seventh among all Ferrari drivers with 32 podium finishes, he ranks second in wins, with 15. He also achieved a combined 10 wins with Brabham and McLaren.

3. Sebastian Vettel. At only 31 years old, Vettel already ranks third among all Ferrari drivers, with 13 race wins since 2015 and 52 throughout his 11-year career. His most recent win came in the 2018 Italian Grand Prix.