CLIMB #02 | COL DE L’ISERAN

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE S Q4

BREATHE

Our target is set on the Col de l’Iseran and within a few minutes we will be in the heart of the giant of the Alps par excellence, the one that – cards in hand – is the highest Alpine pass in the old continent.

Words by Marco Mancino / Photos by S. Lomax

Driving down the Petit-Saint-Bernard is perhaps more scenic than its way up. As soon as you move the first few meters on French soil the entire landscape changes, letting this not too imposing portion of mountains creep in a more chilled way than usual. There is a lot of green, also thanks to the fact that we’re in the middle of the summer season, a traffic that fortunately almost completely disappears with the arrival of the evening and a fresh crisp air that forces to wear a jacket every time Steve believes it is appropriate to stop and get some more pics.

 

 

 

In this very moment the sportier side of the Quattroporte’s multifaceted character gives way to that of a large and luxurious sedan which in devouring long distances and accommodating people and luggage on board identifies its innate ability to combine business with pleasure, usefulness with fun – this because each great road does not necessarily begin at the end of the other. After passing La-Rosière and Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, we then reached the waters of Lac du Chevril, darkened by a sun now almost completely hidden behind the ridge of rocks that overlooks the wonderful Val-d’Isère. Time to turn west, along the dam on the lake and then a few more kilometers before placing the Maserati in the parking area of the hotel that will host us for the night, in Tignes, a renowned winter resort you should not definitely miss if while hanging around here.

The following morning, with the alarm ringing at first lights, we enjoy a hearty breakfast with a breathtaking view of the peaks of Val Claret. The clear sky allows the sun’s rays to outline every smallest rock of this mountainous group that seems to be placed there in order to elevate your Instagram game, even if it is not so easy to get the most out of such a similar place through the little screen of my iPhone. In the surrounding meadows there are marmots running from one den to another and you can breathe an uncontaminated air, the deepest desire to inhale a pure place and almost deliberately hidden behind a crossroads that turns away from the main road towards which we will embark shortly, in search of hairpin bends and the best way to tickle the Gran Sport spirit of the Quattroporte in its S Q4 version, therefore powered by an efficient 3-liter V6 boasting 430 horsepower delivered on both axles by two turbos and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Yes, serious stuff here.

 

 

 

We leave the welcoming cradle of Tignes but first we stop again beholding the incredible view that appears in front of our noses heading back to the Lac du Chevril, with mountains that extend as far as the eye can see, waterfalls coming down from the highest peaks aptly throwing themselves in the clear water of the lake and a small and winding asphalt snake that crosses a unique corner of Heaven on earth. If it had been up to me, I would probably still be there in this very moment, so as to keep every single centimeter of this huge natural postcard, without filters and without the presence of man having excessively invaded the majestic work of mother nature, but the horses were waiting as well as the desire to hear the 6-cylinder from Modena scream again, for sure the one thing really able to get my attention. The right hand moves the gear lever into manual mode, I press the Sport button and make the music coming out of the two pairs of tailpipes invade the passenger compartment, letting the view remain out of the mind as much as out of the window .

 

 

 

In a few minutes we reach Val-d’Isère and after having refueled the sumptuous Italian sedan, we cross the absolute reference point of the region, which despite being well ahead of the highlight of the season (winter) reminds us how people cannot give up that sense of freedom that the mountain is able to offer. Among souvenir shops, vintage-stuff boutiques with typical products, retailers of climbing equipment and winter items, we already feel on holiday, but in reality we know that the best is yet to come. Without even realizing it and after keeping the horses of the muttering V6 at bay under the bonnet, the wooden constructions thin out completely, the road takes on the appearance of a flat ribbon of asphalt that proceeds in a straight line towards those moments even more impressive than those offered by a fairytale-like good morning view. Our target is set on the Col de l’Iseran and within a few minutes we will be in the heart of the giant of the Alps par excellence, the one that – cards in hand – is the highest Alpine pass in the old continent.

 

 

 

Without ifs and buts, without the ingenious trick of the Col de la Bonette, the Iseran is an equally challenging road that reveals its nature when the climb begins to get steeper. Here the road becomes narrower and in some places requires your utmost attention, also due to possible landslides that can lead to stones in the middle of the way. Vegetation changes slowly, but when it thins out, it does so abruptly, passing from a curve surrounded by green grass to hairpin bends hanging on a bare rock wall. Despite weighing over 1,900 kg, the Quattroporte takes advantage of a maximum torque of 580 Nm available just above 2,000 rpm, allowing you to limit the use of the fantastic paddles behind the wheel, at least when a more relaxed drive comes into play. Certain curves, however, are designed to be pinched and the enormous grip of the tires allows you to stress the equally generous braking system entering like a maniac and cheering for always predictable dynamics and a car body that does not betray even when the road surface is no longer in perfect condition.

This V6 screams, then cranks up the volume again and lets its low-pitched bark transform and take on higher and scratchy notes that obviously make some cyclists turn up their noses, those who see the internal combustion engine as the worst invention ever courtesy of the beast called man. The difference between two and four wheels is confirmed once again in our favor when a bunch of kilometers before the summit, some motorcyclists pull over and give way, waving a white flag in front of the mechanical supremacy of our Maserati. Regardless of the season, we are approaching 2,764 meters in height under a bright sun that, despite the persistent wind, has the better on the few clouds above our heads. The rocky walls on the side alternate with stretches where the slightest mistake would cost a dive into the void of who knows how many meters and once again the four-wheel drive system proves its effectiveness when, no matter the crumbling stone residues on the roadside, we keep pushing hard on the throttle, trying to use the entire range of revs at our disposal. Finally the summit.

 

 

 

I would swear I’ve really gotten in tune with this road, but actually I drove just 16 kilometers from Val-d’Isère up here. They have been moments that are metabolized little by little, where each bend is different than the one before and in your mind you can’t wait to deal with it again, with even more determination and with the awareness of marking another conquest on your personal register. Then, all of a sudden, the incessant climb that demanded a high petrol-based toll opens onto a wide open space and with numerous other cars, motorbikes and bicycles, for the most part strictly focused on approaching the sign that confirm you have reached the very top. You are finally on the roof of Europe. That of Iseran is not a peak like all the others, however, there is not just a sign studded with colored stickers all over it and ready to be removed for the next season, but a large parking lot that offers the possibility to climb further towards the sky, obviously by foot, the l’Echoppe refuge de l’Iseran and a picturesque stone chapel.

 

 

 

The wind now blows impressively strong and the air is more pungent than ever, it doesn’t matter if we are in the middle of July. While the numerous cyclists allow themselves the well-deserved picture in front of the marker stones that confirm that they have reached the highest pass in Europe, I take the opportunity to get away from the Quattroporte and look at this magnificent image from a wider angle. A grandiose car can be perceived once seated behind the wheel, but above all placing it into a similar context, certainly not living in captivity in some city center. Moments like these are the ones that contribute creating the best memories and experiences that this absurd 2020 has made even more difficult to live, that’s why I want to be alone for a moment and process with an open mind and an open heart one of the most fulfilling days of my life. I get a look to an excellent team that is always ready to raise the quality level that we intend to put into play to make you feel right here with us, just like a Made in Italy product that even with the engine off continues to arouse the same emotions, placed exactly where weeks before we had projected this same image, made even more special by everything you cannot plan in advance, which is the spontaneity of the moments spent with the best team you could ever wish for.

 

 

 

Photographs, the ideal way to keep a fleeting moment of life intact. And we love having tons of photos, don’t we Steve? That said and after discovering that Alex collects stones found on each mountain pass he drives, I finally find shelter in the Quattroporte’s cabin, a riot of leather and carbon fiber, this time on the passenger seat, dividing the burden and the honor with him, who knows a lot about alpine expeditions. The southern slope of the Col de l’Iseran confirms that roads of this kind are extremely changeable and in fact, after just a couple of switchbacks, it does not only offer a background made even wider because looking down towards the valley, but gives you a road that can be traveled at much higher speeds, never mind if we are almost three thousand meters high, without barriers on the side and with an asphalt that in some places is in precarious conditions, not only due to the presence of gravel but for rough patches that put the Maserati’s stiffest set-up to the test.

 

 

Down like torpedoes, with the almost two tons dramatically increasing the feeling of panic that pervades you when you are not on the driver’s side of a car launched in kamikaze mode towards a bend that you would have faced at half the speed, right not to look like a baby. After a few kilometers, the indefatigable brakes begin to whistle when the hairpin bends require to drastically decrease our pace. God bless them. Not even time to think about what to write on my Insta-stories that the Quattroporte confirms that I could have dared way more on our way up. It is incredible how in the maximum comfort of a heated leather armchair and able to keep me steady regardless of the pace, I am at the same time able to enjoy its power delivered by the twin-turbocharged pot from Modena and precisely grounded by an all-wheel drive system which is not only providential when the road surface is not ideal for attacking the apex.

 

 

 

The last glorious kilometers are up to me again, an approval look between colleagues and the joy similar to that of a child unwrapping his gifts on Christmas morning – I have regained the Trident and while I decide to ease the pressure on the brakes and gearbox, I realize that this fantastic lady on wheels would have continued undeterred to devour hairpin bends with no apparent signs of fading. We pass Bonneval-sur-Arc, location where many of the scenes of the 2013 movie “Belle & Sebastien” were shot (at the expense of the actual setting in the Pyrenees, ed), and then we enjoy a small bonus surprise along a deserted Mont Cenis kissed by a sunset that crowned a perfect day where we’ve been able to drive a car that finally excel in every single aspect, ticking all the boxes you could possibly need on a daily basis and for a weekend run to the Alps. I would not have wished for another car but the Quattroporte, the same noble lady who after two whole days of driving on mountain roads lulls me with cruise control and a 60s soft-rock playlist, taking advantage of the total soundproofing of the passenger compartment on the motorway section that divides our Alpine expedition from home.