Unveiling of new Ferrari roadster upstages the celebrities
A new Ferrari was reason enough for the city's car enthusiasts to trek out to Repulse Bay on Monday night for the flashy unveiling of the Italian stable's latest roadster.
The Ferrari California was premiered last week at a Paris car show, so this was its Asian debut and local distributor Italian Motors spared no expense for the event.
There was a long buffet on the lawn, Chinese drummers to accompany the car's roll-out, and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing was brought in to sit in the driver's seat.
'Everyone knows I love Ferrari, so being the first person in Asia to drive it, I'm very excited and happy,' Kwok, who travelled all of 10 metres behind the wheel, told the gathering.
'It is a very special model, with the convertible hard-top and classic features. I also enjoy the speed, contour and its heritage. Maybe I can get a discount.'
Although famous for his collection of sports cars, Kwok was overshadowed by a couple of surprise guests when Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng suddenly emerged to accompany her fiance, Jean Todt (both pictured with Kwok), who heads Ferrari's Formula One race team. You can tell this was a crowd of car fans because instead of Yeoh and Todt getting mobbed, everyone crowded around the red sports car, running their hands over its curves and interior leather. Now that's what you'd call auto eroticism.
However, getting into Repulse Bay during Monday's rush hour was another story. The slow crawl on the one single road to the south of the island reminded us why zero to 100 in less than four seconds is irrelevant in Hong Kong.
