THE BRILLIANCE OF THE FERRARI PR T department's dastardly planning only mystery, hits me days later. Like a good murder a series of disparate events coalesce into a perfect whole so seamlessly it seems improbable it could have ever been planned. The plot starts immediately upon landing. The hire car isn't fitted with winter tyres. Hmmmm. The gorgeous launch venue is high up in the Dolomites. Could be a challenge. Incredibly, our research suggests that despite the location we'll actually be based many miles from truly great roads. The sort we can't help but seek out even if it means a much longer day. Ferrari knows that. They know everything.
Pretend phone calls are made to 'sort the hire car tyres' to no avail. Apologies are offered that the local roads aren't that great. They throw us further off the scent with strange demands to 'not use the boot for photography equipment as the tripods always damage them'. We are quietly irate. Busy, narrow roads. Hire car that will falter as the temperature drops. What's going on? Ferrari has given us two whole days with the Purosangue, but at the same time seems to be undermining our opportunity to explore and enjoy it.
What to do? There's only one option. Plot a course several hours from base. The forecast is good. For us, not the skiers - it's been a strange season with very little snow. At least that's one variable under control. Maybe everything will be fine, we all agree, only half believing it.
Photographer David Shepherd is struggling to locate the accelerator in the Jeep Renegade hire car so I push on ahead in the Purosangue. The road rushes down the mountain, narrow and unpredictable, then we hit the valley floor and tackle fast, flowing sections weaving in the shadows of the vast mountain range before merging into quiet autostrada. Finally we break away from the main routes and head back up into the clouds.
Bu hikaye Evo UK dergisinin April 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Evo UK dergisinin April 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
BMW M135 xDrive
The M135 has lost an and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?
Audi S5
S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?
Lamborghini Urus SE
Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?
HALL evo OF FAME
The evo Hall of Fame was established to recognise the great and the good of our corner of the universe. Prepare to welcome this year's inductees
CIRCUIT DAY
After three days of assessing their behaviour on the road, it's time to head to the Circuito de Navarra to find out how our nine contenders respond when their handling limits are explored
EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024
Nine brilliant cars, from flyweight roadsters to bombastic supercars to a be-stickered estate(!), do battle on some of Europe's finest and most spectacular roads. Which will emerge victorious? Place your bets now.
Porsche Panamera GTS
It lacks the raw power of its hybrid rivals, but does the new GTS’s more traditional approach give it its USP?
Alpine A290 GTS
The new electric Renault 5 has won plenty of plaudits. Is the hotter Alpine version a car to win petrolheads' hearts too?
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
