We're on the Passo della Raticosa. For 300 years this was the main road connecting Florence and Bologna, two of the world's finest cities. It's 968 metres above sea level, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing, not replete with fast sweepers or good sight lines but a lot of fun all the same. C'mon, this is Italy in full effect. It's easy to imagine a nuova Fiat 500 fizzing and parping its way breathlessly between villages, or the gladiators of the original Mille Miglia pushing as hard they dare on the mountain hairpins. There's not much that can save you if the brake pedal goes soft up here. As it happens, the 2021 edition of the Mille Miglia will be passing through in 24 hours, but having done the event a fair few times it's a relief not to be getting in the way of 400-odd hard-charging historics in a brand new Maserati MC20. Trust me, idiotic interlopers in modern tackle are the bane of the modern Mille Miglia. The MC20 is part of that grand history but for once the new takes dramatic precedence over the old. It's a halo product for sure, but also a significant statement of intent, and it signals Maserati's stubborn refusal to become a footnote in the automotive annals. Cynics suggest that Maserati should be quietly pensioned off so we can enjoy the likes of the original Ghibli, Khamsin and my personal favourite, the Allemano-bodied 5000 GT, in rose-tinted peace. The MC20 insists otherwise.
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