AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast and caused major destruction in a number of areas, Ferrari, whose North American headquarters is based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., immediately tapped into their network of dealers and friends across the country to work together to raise funds for the relief effort and has seen amazing results – raising  $345,000 in in-kind donations for The American Red Cross in just two weeks. Tonight, the culmination of that effort came to life through a winning bid of $1,125,000, at an auction of the first F12berlinetta in the U.S., in addition to over $50,000 in online and in-person donations at the auction. Tonight, Ferrari is excited to announce that all of the proceeds raised, totaling over $1.5 million,  will be donated to The American Red Cross to support those affected by Hurricane Sandy in the tri-state area.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121118/NY15659-a)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121118/NY15659-b)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121118/NY15659-c)

The auction, held at a Ferrari event in Austin, Texas during the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix was attended by Ferrari dealers from across the country, racing enthusiasts, customers and friends of Ferrari, who showed an incredible amount of support for those that were affected by the hurricane's destruction. The nationwide team that worked to see this auction through, headed by  CEO and President of Ferrari North America, Mr. Marco Mattiacci, worked tirelessly to ensure that the donations made to The American Red Cross could help assist those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

"This evening's auction of the highly anticipated F12berlinetta together with the significant contribution from the Ferrari dealer network demonstrate the strong bond between the Prancing Horse and its North American clients," says Marco Mattiacci, President & CEO, Ferrari North America. "With the attention of the motoring world turned to the Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend in Austin, and extremely high demand for the new F12berlinetta, this was the perfect time and place to raise much-needed funds for the continuing effort to assist those effected by Hurricane Sandy, and we are proud of the results," Mattiacci continued.

The F12berlinetta, praised as the most powerful production car in the history of the Prancing Horse, was debuted at the Concours d'Elegance of Pebble Beach earlier this year to a years-long waiting list and will not be available in the U.S. until the second quarter of 2013. These elements drove strong participation in the auction and yielded incredible results.  The auction began with a starting bid of $315,888 and the amount raised quickly reached $1,125,000, through bidders who were both in attendance in Austin and who pre-arranged to bid via phone.

Across the globe, Ferrari has been consistent in auctioning vehicles to help provide disaster relief and charity with incredible results. Following an earthquake in Italy, Ferrari put a rare 599XX Evo hypercar up for auction to benefit the victims in Emiglia Romaga region in May of this year, raising $1.78 million for the victims of the cities that were affected. In China, another auction took place, where a limited edition Ferarri 599 raised about $1.5 million for students.  

About F12berlinetta
The F12berlinetta's 200-bar, direct-injection 6262 cc 65-degree V12 delivers absolutely unprecedented performance for a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine in terms of both power and revs. It has a maximum power output of 740 CV at 8250 rpm, while its specific power output is 118 CV/l, a record for this kind of engine. Responsiveness and strong pick-up are assured by maximum torque of 690 Nm, 80 per cent of which is already on tap at 2500 rpm.

About Ferrari North America
Ferrari North America, Inc. is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and is the exclusive North, Central and South American importer of Ferrari vehicles including the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, the California and FF Grand Tourers, and the new Ferrari F12berlinetta. For more information please visit www.ferrariusa.com and follow us on Twitter @FerrariUSA.

Photographs of the Ferrari F12berlinetta can be downloaded from www.media.ferrari.com.

SOURCE Ferrari North America