ONLY THE BEST | The Very Best Of Our 2019
Another year has passed and if we had no idea how 2019 could have overcome 2018 in terms of strong emotions, retracing it with colleagues at the end of the calendar is the ideal way to realize how much we have traveled, up and down some of the most beautiful mountain passes in Europe, behind the wheel of extraordinary cars. This combination that tends to always push you beyond the comfort zone is the one that offers us a more than valid reason to get out of bed early in the morning, drive all day, skip meals and more often be late in the evening so as to refine the details that turn our articles into a way to catapult you in the middle of the action and try to make you experience the same fantastic emotions of a mountain road disturbed only by the roar of an engine loaded with horses. Again it was not easy at all to agree on everything, demonstrating that the more than 60 cars driven this year for an incalculable number of kilometers have given 365 days that we can’t wait to repeat as soon as the time will have come to enter the new decade.
Thanks to all the press offices that work hard with us, thanks to all our splendid team of editors, photographers and assistants, but above all thanks to you readers who are in all respects the 100 octane petrol that reinvigorates our tank day after day.
Edited by the entire editorial staff
THE SUPERCAR | FERRARI 488 PISTA
Photo by Jay Tomei
In Maranello they have always taken everything very seriously, that’s why when Ferrari decides to put out an hardcore model like the 488 Pista, there is no other solution than to indulge in the rigid embrace of its seats. At first it seems to be tossed about by its 721 horsepower 4-liter V8, but when you can clear your voice and get more confident you understand that it is an incredible track weapon, however capable of bringing you from home to the office. Every kilometer driven behind the wheel gives a sense of occasion, the badge, the sound, the rigidity of the chassis, everything is elevated to the nth degree and everything takes on a sweet taste to the point that you can no longer do without it.
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THE SPORTS CAR | ASTON MARTIN DBS SUPERLEGGERA
Photo by Gian Romero
One of our favorite categories is that of grand tourers. The reason is already explained in the same definition, given that these are cars designed to celebrate the journey, or the reason why you decide to take a steering wheel and leave, perhaps without a specific destination. Aston Martin has revolutionized its range and despite the many radical changes in store for the next few years, it has reached the aesthetic peak with the DBS Superleggera. Under its generous dimensions and voluptuous shapes there is a 712 hp and 900 Nm V12 ready to unleash the Apocalypse at the slightest pressure on the gas pedal, all in full comfort and with a reactivity even better than the sisters DB11 and V8 Vantage. The most difficult thing is having to choose whether to indulge yourself in admiration in front of its lines, or jump on board and drive.
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THE ICON | PORSCHE 911
Photo by Alessandro Marrone
One of the unwritten laws of the automotive journalism world is that there cannot be a best-of article without (at least) a Porsche. The reason is simple, for over 70 years the Stuttgart company has produced some of the best sports cars ever, the maximum expression of cars that can be used perfectly in the real world, but effective and performing enough to satisfy even the most demanding drivers. The 992 is not only a new model, but a new generation of 911. It changes its skin, maintains the turbo propulsion even for the entry level Carrera and demonstrates how it is possible to continue improving and keeping up with the times without ever distorting the essence of a pure sports car capable of communicating with the soul of those who sit at the wheel. Having driven both the Carrera S and Carrera 4S, we spontaneously imagine that the GT versions that will be presented shortly will also be able to surprise, as always, and confirm once again that the 911 is an authentic icon for the whole automotive universe.
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THE CRAZIEST | PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO S E-HYBRID SPORT TURISMO
Photo by Jay Tomei
Unjustly snubbed by a discreet slice of loyal to the brand and by those who have not had the opportunity to drive one, the Panamera Sport Turismo is objectively the most beautiful shooting brake on the market. In the Turbo S e-Hybrid version we are faced with the one created in collaboration with NASA (we are kidding, ed) and in any case able to limit consumption, despite its twin-turbo V8 delivers 680 horsepower thanks to the fact of being coupled to its electric unit, architect among many things of a lightning acceleration, an equally surprising torque (850 Nm) and a drivability that despite the weight and size remains that of a real Porsche. We have rewarded it as the craziest, because being on the market for a few months is no longer a surprise, but trust us when we tell you that this car is able to outline the true amazement in the face even to those who are used to not being impressed by anything.
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THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE | ALPS ATTACK
Photo by Daniél Rikkard
As always, these last 365 days have brought with them a flood of unforgettable experiences. Not wanting to sin with complacency and therefore list our 3 driving tours (Col de Turini Tour, 250 KM Rally, Alpine Grand Prix – here we did it anyway), it was still really difficult to choose just one moment among all those experienced “At the office”. In the end we decided to exclude our noisy excursion on a practically deserted Col de la Bonette with the Maserati GranTurismo Sport and keep it for the January/February issue, thus awarding the Alps Attack, a real challenge against the majesty of something like 7 Alpine passes, one after the other, devoured with one of the most incredible hot hatches out there, the Renault Megane RS Trophy.
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THE SURPRISE | HONDA CIVIC TYPE-R
Photo by Andy Williams
After driving hundreds of cars, we accepted the fact that each of them is capable of transmitting some kind of emotion. None and we repeat, none is able to displace you like the new Honda Civic Type-R. Remove any prejudice related to its anime look, because when you face a curve with a bayonet between your teeth and the front wheels drive only that manage to pull you out and allow you to take advantage of its over three hundred horses, it will be really necessary to set up your mind and understand what the hell is going on. From that moment everything will take an even more crazy turn and it will seem to be grappling with a table with four wheels, a huge spoiler at the rear and a precise gearbox ready to let the turbo engine unload all the angriness of the world to the ground. It is not fair to define the Type-R as the car that most surprised us. The Type-R shocked us.
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THE SUV | ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO
Photo by Gian Romero
In the world of SUVs there is an increasing desire to stand out for qualities that are anything but off-road-ish. We say this thinking about the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, one of those cars that make us think of Italy as the country that identifies the passion for a powerful engine, supercar acceleration and the drivability of a true sports car. All this with five seats, a large trunk, a noteworthy ground clearance and an all-wheel drive system that prefers the rear axle and does not deny having a diabolical pleasure in letting the crackling SUV going sideway. This model feels more comfortable among sports cars, but if you forget Race mode for a few minutes, it is ready to take you from point A to point B in the comfort of a cabin immersed in carbon fiber and Alcantara. This is the Italy we love!
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THE BEST DRIVING ROAD | COLLE DEL NIVOLET
Photo by Daniél Rikkard
In the end, the perfect combination of factors is what is offered by the ideal scenario. Of course you could drive a Ferrari around a monument all day and it would be engaging in its own way, but something tells us that grinding kilometers and reaching our beloved mountain passes is the ideal way to really understand the soul of a car and let emotions take over, maybe when cyclists and caravans have left crowding the hairpin bends and the colors of autumn are peeping out, making an enchanted landscape even more evocative. Here is one of the few reasons that can push you to pull over, get out of the car and let yourself be enveloped by that sense of contentment that will soon turn into an addiction that it will be impossible to avoid. And then you are already submerged in maps, notes and planning your next road trip. In this regard we will have many surprises for you, but for now there is no need to add anything else. 2019 has been wonderful, now we are ready to welcome 2020!