A sharp corner in the Ocean Terminal car park required most of the Ferraris on the marque's recent 60th anniversary drive to make a three-point turn. Somehow, the confines of the Tsim Sha Tsui landmark seemed too stressful, perhaps because wide-open spaces are the correct environment for these thoroughbreds, but also because I've damaged more cars while parking than on the race track. Had the owner of the 1969 Daytona I was driving known this, he might not have so cheerfully handed me the keys. My task was made more difficult by the proximity of the car behind me - and by the lack of power-assisted steering. Such are the joys of driving a classic car. The Daytona was one of 30 local Ferraris involved in the marque's global celebrations of its 60th anniversary. Over 148 days, the Italian marque is staging similar drives in 50 key markets around the world, culminating in a party in its home town, Maranello, on June 23. Hong Kong is an important stopover, because Ferrari delivers 100 cars a year here. The marque also carries a commemorative baton for each stopover, and it arrived by helicopter from Chek Lap Kok with Ferrari Asia-Pacific's Mario Micheli at Clear Water Bay Golf Club. A select assembly of Hong Kong's most important Ferraris then drove to Tsing Ma Bridge, on to Tsim Sha Tsui and then via the Italian Motors showroom in Ap Lei Chau before settling in Repulse Bay for a dinner party. The February 8 event highlighted the number of historically important Ferraris in Hong Kong. Alongside the current models - the eight-cylinder 430, the V12-engined 612 Scaglietti and 599 GTB - were a handful of classics. Ferrari Owners' Club chairman Andrew Luk drove his 246 Dino, Gerry Kipling presented his petite 206 GT version, and Joseph Fung's 275 GTS from 1965 was proudly the oldest car in the parade. Hong Kong also has some of the marque's fastest cars, such as the 288 GTO, F40, F50 and the Enzo. Being left-hand drive and therefore not eligible for road registration, these can only be driven on trade plates and their involvement in events on public roads is tricky. But one doesn't buy a Ferrari as transport alone. And this is especially true of the older cars - as I discovered with the Daytona. Perhaps the fact that these cars require full attention when driving that makes them so attractive. Modern Ferraris are loaded with clever electronics, so changing gear is a matter of a flick of the finger. But shifts in the Daytona takes some getting used to - and much concentration. The reason to buy a Ferrari is to share in the history. Ferrari's success owes much to clever brand management, yet the marque's committed to driving. On this commemorative drive we had a special pre-paid lane in the Western and Aberdeen tunnels, and a police escort at some points. The highlight for me was the smooth, open roads and terrific scenery on the Tsing Ma Bridge. I will also long remember manoeuvring the Daytona around Hong Kong's streets - battling the heavy clutch, ever-conscious that the low-slung exhausts are vulnerable to bumpy surfaces.
