We already know Keanu Reeves can keep a bus above 50 mph, but now we also know he’s pretty handy at wheeling a Ferrari 
around Fiorano. The actor, famous for his roles in films like Speed, The Matrix, and Point Break, recently paid a visit to the Ferrari factory in Maranello to get the inside scoop on what goes into the creation of a prancing horse.
Usually associated with motoring of the two-wheeled variety, Reeves still had what it took to impress behind the wheel of a 488 GTB, putting the sports car through it’s paces at the marque’s home test track, saying afterwards, “It’s a car you instantly feel an incredibly synergy with. It’s like it’s tailored around you, an extension of your body and your mind. There’s no doubt about it: Ferrari is the dream.”
Speaking of tailor-made, Reeves also spent time at the atelier where he got to sample a variety of materials on offer for interior customization. He also got to experience the New Mechanical Machining Area and eight-cylinder production line for a look at the how the greasy bits fit together.
Of course, when visiting Ferrari, you gotta get a taste for the history. In the Classiche department, Reeves was met by two recently restored race cars, including a 500 Mondial and a one-off single-seater built in the ’50s for the Indy 500. “You can really feel how the values of the past are being passed down here. They’re a legacy that deserves to be carefully preserved and that’s just what you’re doing here by keeping the designs and plans for every single model in your incredible archive,” he said.
Next, Reeves got to get up close with a LaFerrari, plus a few single-seaters driven by Michael Schumacher, who Reeves is a big fan of. Topping it off was a more-than-appropriate ride in a 2015 California T.
Woah.
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Why it matters
Ferrari loves to associate itself with the biggest and most famous names in the world. It helps to raise the perception of stature and prestige tied into a brand if Neo is out piloting its latest sports car. And I’m sure Ferrari knows how to put on a show – never mind the race track and multi-million dollar hypercars. Even the static displays (Schumacher’s F1 cars for example) are enough to conjure goose bumps. The result is nothing but good press.
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Press Release
Fiorano, the assembly lines, the Tailor Made atelier, the Classiche Department, the New GES building…Keanu Reeves insisted on seeing them all when he was our special guest for a day here at Maranello. The American star of classic films of the likes of the Matrix, Speed, Point Break and Little Buddha, has an innate passion for speed, particularly of the two-wheeled variety. However, he also proved he is pretty skilled behind the wheel when he test-drove the Prancing Horse’s newest arrival , the Ferrari 488 GTB, at Fiorano. “It’s a car you instantly feel an incredibly synergy with,” he declared. “It’s like it’s tailored around you, an extension of your body and your mind. There’s no doubt about it: Ferrari is the dream….”
Keanu also spent some time in the New Mechanical Machining Area where he was fascinated by the engine production process, and in the Tailor Made atelier, where he got a first-hand impression of the truly endless quantity and spectacular quality of the materials available for personalisations. He then visited the 8-cylinder production lines where he happily posed for photographs with the staff.
When the actor toured the Classiche department in the second part of the afternoon, he fell in love with two just-restored cars: a Ferrari 500 Mondial and a one-off single-seater built in the 1950s for the legendary Indy 500. “You can really feel how the values of the past are being passed down here. They’re a legacy that deserves to be carefully preserved and that’s just what you’re doing here by keeping the designs and plans for every single model in your incredible archive,” he said.
Last but not least, after admiring the LaFerrari on display in the atelier and the F1 Clienti single-seaters, particularly the ones driven by Michael Schumacher of whom he is a huge fan, Keanu took a spin in the California T: a very fitting end to a fantastic day for a Hollywood star.