CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. -- Ferrari continued to dominate the auctions surrounding this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance—a 1964 250LM sold for $17.6 million and a 2005 Enzo that once belonged to Pope John Paul II commanded $6.05 million. But the Italian automaker took a decidedly off-the-beaten-track approach when it came to hosting its VIP clients and journalists—by renting out a gas station.
Dubbed Casa Ferrari Carmel, the branded pop-up “store” in Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif., reinforced the luxury automaker’s presence as it hosted, over the course of four days, more than 750 vintage classic and modern Ferraris and some 3,500 guests, according to a report by BizBash.com. It is a working Shell gas station at the Carmel Highlands General Store, a vintage location just south of Monterey that has been a landmark for half a century.
“This whole event weekend was becoming a ‘showroom on a green,’ and that to me was a turnoff,” Greg Adams, Ferrari North America’s director of marketing and brand experience, told the website, alluding to other luxury brands that hosted guests at comparatively cookie-cutter villas and estates either on the water or up in the hills. “I think more and more people … will need to be moving to a more integrated experience.”
To bring Casa Ferrari to fruition, Adams tapped his longtime production partner, Dimensional Communications, Mahwah, N.J., which handles all the builds for Ferrari’s presence at auto shows and events. Toronto-based GMR Marketing, which works on the Ferrari Challenge races, oversaw the running of the activation and personnel management.
“The goal was to make the activation more physical versus virtual in this day and age of digital experiences, particularly with Ferrari, which is all about getting behind the wheel, getting the sensation, the smell, the feel,” Adams said. “The experience is much more important.”
The gas station owner himself is a Ferrari owner, said the report.
The resulting Casa Ferrari, which ran from August 12 to 16, featured a white façade with freshly painted, vivid red window shutters, inspired by the legendary Enzo Ferrari’s home base beside the Fiorano racetrack in Maranello. Ferrari, in partnership with Shell, dressed the General Store’s public gift shop to look like an Italian villa and installed a garden area where real Italians served authentic Italian treats such as pasta, Parmesan cheese, espresso, and gelato.
The brand also used the occasion to make the North American driving debut of its new twin-turbo V8 sportscar, the 488 GTB.
Between the public and private areas, approximately 3,500 people visited Casa Ferrari, the report said, 30% more than expected.
Because the gas station remained a public space, any driver in any vehicle could pull up to buy gas, and a handful did, BizBash said.
Click here to view the full BizBash report. And click here and here for more details from Ferrari, including video and additional images.
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