First look at Gold Coast’s new Ferrari dealership

GOLD Coasters are buying so many Ferraris the carmaker is opening a local showroom. And a high-profile local business power couple are behind the latest luxury dealership.

GOLD Coasters are buying so many Ferraris the carmaker is opening a local showroom.

The Italian megabrand has used the launch of its latest ultra-luxury car to announce a new dealership for the Glitter Strip, which they say enjoys the highest ownership rate of anywhere in Australia.

Unveiling its new V8 Portofino at a VIP event in Byron Bay, Ferrari welcomed the James Frizelle Automotive Group as the newest dealers in Australasia.

GOLD COAST’S NEW LUXURY BENTLEY SHOWROOM

The new Ferrari showroom on the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast showroom will be created at the Frizelles Southport base, next to their Fiat and Alpha showrooms and is set to open by July after an intensive fit-out in classic Italian Ferrari style.

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Sales of Ferrari are up 11.7 per cent year on year nationally, with 27 sold in January this year, second in the category’s sales only to the popular Porsche 911 and well ahead of third-placed Aston Martin which closed 13 sales last month.

The new Ferrari showroom on the Gold Coast

The coveted handmade production of the Ferraris means demand far outstrips supply, meaning the Frizelle’s only issue with the dealership is likely to be quenching locals’ thirst for them.

The brand also plans to open new Ferrari-only showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, taking their network to nine dealerships across Australia and New Zealand.

Ferrari Australasia CEO Herbert Appleroth, a former Bond University student, said Gold Coast had some of the highest rates of Ferrari ownership in Australia — with Sanctuary Cove housing more of the luxury machines than any other postcode.

The Glitter Strip is the epicentre of Ferrari ownership in Australia.

“Australia has a longstanding history with Ferrari and its position as a market of global significance has continued to develop in recent years,” he said.

“Since the Ferrari Australasian office was first established here in 2014, the business has seen unprecedented growth and consecutive years of record sales.

“Queensland continues to lead the way in terms of Ferrari client orders per capita of population in Australia.”

The Italian megabrand has used the launch of its latest ultra-luxury car to announce a new dealership for the Glitter Strip

Ferrari Gold Coast chief operating officer Rebecca Frizelle, who is dealer principal of the operation said the new showroom would be in the heart of the Gold Coast, becoming “an integral landmark of the region and an important pillar in the Ferrari dealer network globally”.

“We are very proud and incredibly excited to announce the Ferrari Gold Coast showroom as the sole representative of Ferrari on the Gold Coast,” she said.

Inside the new Ferrari

“Our showroom will be a world class automotive facility and the Ferrari Atelier will allow us to provide our clients with an exceptional level of service, accessing state of the art technology and equipment.”

The Portofino gets its name from the Italian Riviera town of the same name, with the carmaker choosing Byron Bay for the Australasian unveiling as the town has a similar “understated style”.

The car is the successor to the California T grand tourer, and is a 2+2-seat twin turbocharged convertible.