Luxury Car Brands: Ferrari's first store in the UK, on Regent Street in the heart of London's fashionable Mayfair, opened last week with a ceremony presided over by the famed auto marques Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen. The event marking the impressive space - second only in size to the firm's flagship showroom in Milan - also featured a spectacular display of both new and classic Ferraris. It is designed to be not only a store but also an "homage to the history and spirit of Ferrari's twin souls of racing and luxury, with large screen TVs depicting the automobiles in action located throughout."

The store, located in a beautifully renovated historical building and with a replica Ferrari Formula 1 racing car for a centerpiece, carries the full line of Ferrari watches (produced by Officine Panerai), sunglasses, luggage, clothing, model cars even Ferrari-branded bicycles. Customers can shop the traditional way or via touchscreen consoles. There are also PlayStation games delivering the vicarious thrill of driving one of the legendary automobiles. In fact, the only thing not available in the 1,700-sq.-ft. space is an actual Ferrari; for that you have to visit one of the company's showrooms, and despite the recession the waiting list for a new car is still two years long.

For LxM