20 special-edition copies of the Ferrari 458 Italia sent to China

The first factory car from Maranello to hit the shores of China was a 1992 Ferrari 348 TS. Twenty years later, Ferrari is celebrating its anniversary in the country by producing 20 special-edition copies of the 458 Italia inspired by the market.

In addition to the car, Ferrari will open its first permanent brand exhibition outside of Maranello at the Italian Center of Shanghai's World Expo Park. The exhibit will cover about 10,000 square feet and will stay for three years. It will be divided into five sections: Ferrari in China, Green Technology, Product, Design and Racing.

One of the 20 special-edition Ferraris will be on display at the opening of the exhibition.

The special editions are based on the 458 Italia. They're finished in a new color called Marco Polo Red, which looks a bit darker than Maranello's standard hue. The inspiration, Ferrari says, comes from the country's longma theme that means “the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon horse.”

The dragon is a symbol of the Chinese culture, standing for courage, passion and success. This also happens to be the year of the dragon—the traditional gift for the 20th anniversary is China dishware—so if you're looking for some synchronicity, there it is.

A golden dragon is painted on the hood, with offsetting black and gold stripes that symbolize a racetrack. Ferrari says the dragon and the prancing horse complement each other, though the prancing horse's background is still canary yellow. The design is completed with gold-finished rims and gold aero-elastic winglets.

The interior gets gold embroidery on the headrests, an engine-start button inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for “start” and a “20th Anniversary Special Edition” plaque in the dash. Pricing hasn't been announced, but you can bet it will be more than the car's $225,000 base price.

By Jake Lingeman