October 12, 2010
Many new, vintage and rare Maserati sports cars led New York's 66th annual Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue.
The luxury automaker teamed up with the Columbus Day Parade’s organizer, Columbus Citizens Foundation, to raffle off a 2011 Maserati GranTourismo Convertible. The raffle benefits the Columbus Citizens Foundation’s scholarship programs.
“We’ve been supporters of the Columbus Foundation for several years,” Jeff Ehoodin, a spokesman at Maserati, New York. “A very good owner and collector of Masaratis is on the board.
“It’s something we do to support the Italian community here in the U.S,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity to allow people to enjoy the cars and support our heritage.”
The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in New York. It gives financial aid to qualifying students from elementary through graduate levels. The Foundation organizes events to support Italian-American heritage and culture.
It has organized New York City’s Columbus Day Parade since 1929.
The 2011 Maserati GranTourismo Convertible
Maseratis featured in the parade included a 1931 Maserati V4 Zagato, a 1953 Maserati A6GCS, a 1956 Maserati 300S, a 1960 Maserati 5000GT, a 1970 Ghibli SS and 2010 Maserati GranTourismo Convertibles.
“We’ve been supporting with the Columbus Citizens Foundation with imagery and materials about the car,” Mr. Ehoodin said. “This is one of many, many events that we do.
“It’s something that we enjoy doing and there’s good visibility and it’s with the community,” he said. “It’s not hard to enjoy taking part in it.”
The 2011 Maserati GranTourismo Convertible will be raffled off at an event held Oct. 15 in Grand Central Terminal where it is currently on display. Tickets for the raffle are $1,000.00 each and limited to 400.
The raffle is being marketed to individuals with annual incomes of over $100,000. This demographic makes up a large portion of the traffic passing through Grand Central Terminal on a daily basis.
“The Columbus Citizens Foundation has about 800 students currently receiving scholarships and we disperse about $2 million a year," said Lawrence Auriana, co-chair for the Columbus Celebration, New York.
"We want to promote a positive image of Italian culture and Masareti displays a positive image for Italy."
Final Take
Kaitlyn Bonneville, editorial assistant at Luxury Daily, New York
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