Adam Hay-Nicholls

Is the Purosangue SUV a real Ferrari?

I went to the Dolomites to find out what £300,000 gets you

  • From Spectator Life
The Purosangue is an SUV – whatever Ferrari say

I recently spent a long weekend in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, driving a fast car, eating tortellini alla panna twice a day and rifling through Luciano Pavarotti’s DVD library. The tenor’s house, outside Modena, has been converted into a museum filled with his many shiny awards and Hermès scarves, framed photos with Bono and Mandela and, yes, his unrivalled collection of Police Academy movies.

I also visited Modena’s sprawling San Cataldo cemetery to see the imposing family tomb of one Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari, 1898-1988. I listened carefully. It was peaceful. Apart from birdsong, not a whisper. There was no whirring, no drilling, no vibration or rumbling from underground. Everybody said he’d be spinning in his grave. Talk about a let-down. It turns out Enzo Ferrari, il Commendatore, the most famous and feared sports car builder in history, is just fine with a Ferrari Sports Utility Vehicle.

Ferrari specifically say ‘don’t call it an SUV’, but I’m afraid there’s no way around it.

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