The UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi welcomed 2011 with the opening of the world’s largest theme park, Ferrari World. With a surface area of 2,200,000 sq ft roofed with a 213 ft x 159 ft Prancing Horse, the largest Ferrari logo ever made, this gigantic indoor amusement park is designed to create exhilaration; and exhilaration is what you will get.

So what is Ferrari? A sports car; often associated with F1. Perhaps some of us might even have seen a real one. Ferrari World however, the first ever amusement park of its kind, revolutionizes this idea of ‘Ferrari’ by bringing forward sensations and simulations together with history of the Ferrari story and its creator Enzo Ferrari, through a journey of both fun and informational attractions.

Formula Rossa, for example, the world’s fastest roller coaster and the park’s landmark, is designed to feel how it is like to drive and brake an F1 car at maximum speed. G-Force, another core attraction, is a tower of speed which elevates itself to 203 ft high and then drops you in an elating free fall. For the less thrill-seeking, Bell’ Italia offers a ride into a Ferrari 250 California Spyder through a miniature Italy. Also, Galleria Ferrari encompasses the largest collection of Ferrari models outside Maranello for unlimited contemplation.

If you are more knowledge-thirsty, V12 allows you to enter the heart of a 12-cylinder Ferrari 599 engine and appreciate the technical mysteries behind its power. Or, you can simply sit and relax in front of a film about Enzo in Cinema Maranello. With about 20 different attractions, there is something for everyone. Moreover, the theme park also focuses on Italian cultural highlights such as its cuisine, headed by four Michelin Star Italian chefs, or its fashion industry as shopping for Italian leather goods or jewelry is possible in the Ferrari Store.

Ferrari World is thus the materialization of a groundbreaking idea – to make a high-end product like Ferrari accessible to the public. Through a series of both invigorating and educational attractions, the park takes its visitor into a world that would otherwise be available just to the few.