Ferrari World opens its doors - sort of

Ferrari has just opened its very own theme park in Abu Dhabi - albeit to a few podgy journos.

Sadly, the public opening has been delayed to a future date due to a period of mourning after Sheik Saqr bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Emir of Ras al-Khaimah, passed away.

Ferrari World is the largest indoor theme park on Planet Earth, with a 60 x 40m prancing horse on the roof, just in case you actually are navigating your way here from deep space.

Among the 20 rides on offer inside is an F1 experience that claims to hit speeds of 125mph and provide punters with the opportunity to feel the same sort of G-Forces that a driver endures at race speeds. This we like. On paper.

Less convincing is the F430-based rollercoaster in which cars that look a tiny little bit like F430s will go head-to-head in a race that obviously isn't really a race.

There are also six restaurants on site, all of them selling different types of Italian cuisine. Restaurants and rollercoasters. That classic combination.

Four years in the making, Ferrari World has been a bit of a regular discussion point at Top Gear HQ. Is it a gigantic, tasteless altar to greed and consumption, a shrine to everything that's a bit sickly about having too much money and nowhere sensible to spend it? Or a cool bit of fun for car fans and their kids? 

TopGear.com has a man on the inside who'll be reporting back next week with the answers, but for now, check out these pictures from the launch.