Private Maldives island comes with one-of-a-kind Ferrari - but it'll cost you
A private island stay in the Maldives, costing a whopping £55,000-a-night, has just upped its luxury game by importing a Ferrari for guests to drive around the resort.
The Ferrari Testa Rossa J is a 75% reproduction of the iconic Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – a model that holds a significant place in the annals of Ferrari and motor racing history. This exclusive vehicle, the only car on the island, has been shipped over for the use of guests who hire Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi exclusively.
Only 299 of these £110,000 cars were ever produced. The full-sized version, which can fetch a staggering £28,000,000, famously became the first car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times.
The EV Ferrari Testa Rossa J will be available exclusively for private island guests to test drive during their stay - and is included in the price when guests hire the island. Ithaafushi, the largest private island in the Maldives, spanning over 344,000 square-feet, can ordinarily accommodate 24 guests.
However, those hiring the island privately can use the EV Ferrari to travel between private yoga sessions, the five pools and numerous restaurants. This comes after Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi, also known as Pearl Island in the Maldivian language Dhiveh, partnered with Hedley Studios - formerly The Little Car Company.
The scaled-down electric icon Ferrari will be there for a year. It was developed from the original drawings of the original - which conquered the 1000km in Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring with the driving duo Phil Hill and Peter Collins.
In addition to the car, guests can also savour customised menus and have close encounters with wild turtles and whale sharks. The price for a night's stay on the island varies, but it is believed to be around £55,000.
The world of mega-exclusive holidays is a fascinating one, even if most of us can only ever dream of affording one.
Philippe Brown has been organising incredible trips for society's uber wealthy for decades, having spent 13 years as a location scout and then tour guide in some of the world's most exotic destinations.
During the past ten years he has been "challenging the status quo of luxury travel" at Brown and Hudson.
Incredibly wealthy people in search of something special contact the firm before Philippe and his colleagues attempt to work out their hopes, fears and secret dreams.
These are then used as the basis for weird and wonderful holidays they create by throwing huge amounts of cash at the issue, and using their connections to pull some strings.
We spoke to Philippe about the stranger trips he has arranged. You can read all about them here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ferrari chief admits he and Hamilton 'stupidly' underestimated challenge of new partnership
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted he and Lewis Hamilton underestimated how difficult finding success during the Brit's first year with the Prancing Horse would be. Hamilton, 40, has often cut a frustrated figure since leaving Mercedes - where he won six of his seven Drivers' Championships - earlier this year. He's struggled to emulate the form he showed at the Silver Arrows since joining his new team however, even failing to notch a single podium with a best finish of fourth place on three occasions. Vasseur, Hamilton's new chief principal, has now speculated as to why the pair's working relationship is yet to flourish. 'Lewis and I, we collectively probably underestimated the change of environment and the fact that he spent for me 20 years in the same team,' he told The Race. 'McLaren and Mercedes, and then he moved to Mercedes, an English team, same engine guys, that same culture and so on. 'So he spent 2006 to 2024, 18 years, in that same environment and then he arrived at Ferrari, and we were stupidly expecting that he will have everything under control. 'He's not the guy who changed team every two years. 'Culturally speaking, there is a bigger difference between Ferrari and Mercedes than between Mercedes and McLaren. And this we underestimated.' Hamilton's struggles on the circuit have often resulted in him venting his frustrations to the media post-race, the most recent example of which occurred in Hungary. After qualifying just 12th on the grid, the legendary driver described his performance as 'useless', even claiming that Ferrari should look for a new driver. Such outbursts were criticised by Vasseur in an interview earlier this week. He told German publication Auto Motor und Sport: 'Stay calm. 'Build on the fact that he has already taken the first step. Don't let things like what happened in Budapest get you down. 'Lewis is very self-critical. He is always extreme in his reactions. Sometimes he is too hard on the car, sometimes on himself. He wants to get the most out of himself and everyone in the team. 'You have to calm him down and explain to him that in Q2 [in Hungary] he was only a tenth of a second behind the driver [Leclerc] who later took pole position. That's no big deal. 'The message he sends out only makes things worse. 'Most of the time, he's only that extreme with the press. By the time he comes into the briefing room, he's usually calmed down again. That's just his way.' The Formula One season is currently in the middle of a summer break - with Hamilton sitting a lowly sixth place in the race for the title and a whopping 175 points behind Oscar Piastri. The F1 season returns with the Dutch Grand Prix - with race day on August 31 as Piastri looks to extend his advantage at the top of the standings over McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
Ferrari boss hints why Lewis Hamilton is struggling this season
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur admit they underestimated the challenge of his move to the Scuderia after 12 years at Mercedes. Hamilton has yet to secure a podium finish in his first 14 races with Ferrari, with his best result being fourth place in a grand prix. Vasseur stated that they 'stupidly expected' Hamilton to have everything under control, given his long tenure in a similar environment at Mercedes and McLaren. A key factor identified for Hamilton's struggles is the significant cultural difference between Ferrari and his previous British-based teams, which Vasseur believes was underestimated. Hamilton is currently seventh in the world championship standings, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc by 42 points and championship leader Oscar Piastri by 175 points.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
Ferrari F1 boss admits he and Lewis Hamilton ‘stupidly' underestimated 2025 challenge
Fred Vasseur has acknowledged that he and Lewis Hamilton 'underestimated' the challenge of being successful in the Briton's first year at Ferrari. Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton moved to the Scuderia in the off-season after 12 years and six titles with Mercedes. However, it has been a disappointing start in red for Hamilton, who has failed to register a podium in the first 14 races of the season. His best result in a grand prix has been fourth place, though he did win the sprint race in China back in March. With dreams of an eighth world title this year now long gone, Ferrari team principal Vasseur has spoken about why the partnership has yet to fire. "Lewis and I, we collectively, probably underestimated the change of environment, and the fact that he spent, for me, 20 years in the same team,' Vasseur told The Race. "McLaren was Mercedes, and then he moved to Mercedes, an English team, same engine guys, that same culture and so on. "So, he spent 2006 to 2024, 18 years, in this environment, and then he arrived at Ferrari. And we were stupidly expecting that he will have everything under control." Hamilton stated at the last race in Hungary that he felt 'useless' after qualifying just 12th on the grid, while teammate Charles Leclerc finished on pole. The 40-year-old even added that Ferrari should start looking for a new driver. However, Vasseur was also keen to emphasise the 'cultural difference' between McLaren and Mercedes, Hamilton's former teams, and Ferrari as a reason for the Brit's struggles. "He's not the guy who changed team every two years," Vasseur added. 'You have guys on the grid that, if you have a look on Carlos [Sainz], for example, he did Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, us and Williams in eight years. "He changed four times. He's used to dealing with this. Lewis was not the case. "Culturally speaking, there is a bigger difference between Ferrari and Mercedes than between Mercedes and McLaren. And this we underestimated." With 10 races left this season, Hamilton is seventh in the world championship and trails teammate Leclerc by 42 points and championship leader Oscar Piastri by 175 points. F1 returns after the summer break next week with the Dutch Grand Prix (31 August).
