Ferrari opens new store at the Nürburgring

With Felipe Massa on the podium for the first time this season, Ferrari had enough cause to celebrate at this year's German Grand Prix. But that wasn't the only milestone the Maranello outfit marked at the Nürburgring this past weekend as Ferrari opened a massive new retail facility adjacent to the famed racing circuit.

The latest Ferrari Store is the first in Germany and the first at a race track (assuming you exclude the flagship store in Maranello near the company's own Fiorano circuit). We initially reported on the plans nearly a year ago, but full details have now emerged: the Iosa Ghini-designed store encompasses 240 square meters of space in the new Nürburgring trackside complex, including retail space for Ferrari's growing range of merchandise, a lounge overlooking the track, a business conference room and an F1 car on display. Massa and Raikkonen were on hand to dedicate the new site, which is only the latest step in a planned expansion that will include 40 new locations around the world over the course of the next three years. Check out the details in the press release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

[Source: Ferrari]

PRESS RELEASE

The new Ferrari Store opens at the legendary Nürburgring Circuit

Maranello, July 9th 2009 – The first Ferrari Store in Germany was officially inaugurated today at a very special location: the Nürburgring, which nestles in the gentle Eifel hills and provides the fascinating venue for the German Grand Prix. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, who had already been out on the track in the run-up to Sunday's Grand Prix. This is also the first Ferrari Store to open at a circuit and comes as part of an ambitious expansion plan to turn the Nürburgring complex into an all-year round leisure and business centre. With this in mind, major new structures are being added, including the shopping centre housing the Ferrari Store, an events centre, a conference centre and hotels.

The 240 square metre Nürburgring Ferrari Store is spread over a single track-level floor. Developed entirely by the Studio Iosa Ghini, its concept sees it as much as a homage to the history and spirit of Ferrari's twin souls of racing and luxury as a straightforward store. Each area has thus been carefully designed as a special, one-off space in which shoppers can truly embrace the Ferrari experience. It will offer a wide selection of products from the Prancing Horse ranges for GT car clients and enthusiasts, and Ferrari tifosi. This latest Ferrari Store will also include an elegant lounge with a business section for meetings and a relaxation area directly overlooking the track itself.

The Nürburgring Ferrari Store joins the other prestige Prancing Horse retail locations around the world, including those in Milan, Rome and Venice (Italy), London (UK), Barcelona (Spain), San Francisco and Miami (USA), Macao (China) and Abu Dhabi (UAE). It was created and will be managed by the Zender Group, which operates in the automotive sector, and has owned the official Ferrari dealership at Mülheim-Kärlich since 1981. The Ferrari Store development programme includes plans to bring the number of openings to more than 40 over the next three years in Europe, America, and the Middle and Far East.