At an exclusive customer event last night, Ferrari test driver Marc Gene, presented Roger Penske, Founder and Chairman of the Penske Corporation, with a special gift to celebrate a remarkable 50 years of Maranello Egham representing the Ferrari brand in the UK.

To recognise this landmark, Ferrari provided a 2006 F1 car and a 599 GTO for display, and they shared showroom space with a number of rare and exotic cars which best represented the Prancing Horse: one of the last 250 GTOs with a successful racing history, a 250 GT California once owned by actor James Coburn and a beautiful and regularly campaigned 365 GTB4 Daytona which still wears its recognisable 'Maranello Racing' colours.

Gene was on hand to reveal the new Ferrari 458 Italia to the VIP customers who attended the event, and he also explained how Ferrari was uniquely placed to transfer technology from its F1 cars to its GT cars, with the F1 drivers all working closely with the GT car development team to provide their feedback and impressions about the marque's road cars.

Also in attendance at the event were several former drivers who raced for Colonel Ronnie Hoare's 'Maranello Racing' team: Jack Sears, Mike Salmon, Richard Attwood and David Piper. The team had a long history of racing successes with GT cars throughout Europe and always raced in a distinctive livery which can still be seen in various historic racing series.

Three times World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, was also on hand to reminisce about his racing career and his memories of racing for Roger Penske – and, contemporaneously, against Enzo Ferrari – many of which are included in his new book, Collage. Roger Penske closed the evening with a talk about his remarkable successes in motor racing, including an incredible 15 wins at the iconic Indianapolis 500 and his ambitions to achieve similar in the equally historic 24 Heures du Le Mans.

From 1960 to 2004, Maranello Concessionaires was the sole importer for Ferrari in the UK, and since October 2004, Ferrari SpA has managed the importing of the cars while Maranello has concentrated on the retail side of the business, also redeveloping the classic parts business which remains one of the largest sources of classic Ferrari parts outside of Maranello. The Sytner Group, part of the Penske Corporation, purchased the Maranello Egham dealership in 2007.