Editorial

There’s something slightly unnerving sitting at the controls of a car with exactly 100mph on the clock, Armco whistling past a couple of metres away, hands lying helpless in your lap, the steering wheel twitching slightly as block after block of concrete rushes underneath.

The occasion was the launch of the Maserati Quattroporte with a conventional ZF automatic transmission, the venue Britain’s top test track at Millbrook and your editor was experiencing the ‘hands-off’ trick at 75 mph and then 100 mph on the banking. A considerably improved, and very accomplished car – you’ll have to wait for the full verdict next week – apart, it no doubt demonstrates some rule of physics discovered by the ancients.

I’ll leave the slide-rule calculations to more learned readers, suffice it to say the experience was an interesting one – but one that I’m happy to leave to others, preferring both hands on the wheel for some more spirited driving. Of which there’s much to come in April and May, including the exciting Supercar Tour that you can read about below.

It’s holiday time, so an earlier than usual ClassicInside this week – wishing you all an enjoyable break.

Steve Wakefield Managing Editor sw@classicdriver.com