Thank Frankel it's Friday: Why I'm concerned about the new Ferrari Monzas

But I am concerned about the way these cars might handle. We know they sit on the same platform as the mighty 812 Superfast and their chassis will therefore be subject to the same steely electronic control that keeps the Superfast on such a short leash – at least until you turn them off. And even when you do, the Superfast is impressively forgiving for a car of that power output. And ‘impressively forgiving’ is a term no-one who has ever raced one ever used in relation to the car from which their name and looks are said to be derived and inspired: the fabled 1954 750 Monza.

I am one of the lucky few who can speak about this with the benefit of experience, because it was my happy lot to race an original Monza for many years – more often at Goodwood than anywhere else – and even after all that acclimatisation and even on the days when it was in perfect tune and I was more than usually on top of my game, it was never less than a tricky sod to drive.

There were plenty of reasons for this: its primitive transverse leaf rear suspension, live axle, drum brakes and so on, but really it was a combination of factors that made you feel that just stepping out of it after a race was an achievement. The first factor was the 3-litre four-cylinder engine mounted way back in its chassis. As you might expect from such a motor, it was a torque monster which would have placed greater traction demands on that rear axle than it could be realistically expected to bear. So Ferrari balanced it out by putting the gearbox between the rear wheels, evening up the weight distribution and transforming the car’s traction potential – which was very smart in theory. Except that in its wisdom Ferrari also chose to bless the car with a challengingly short wheelbase.

So what tended to happen was that the car would grip and grip at the back and then go. And if you weren’t quick with a corrective input from the not exactly pin-accurate steering, it tended to stay gone. Cars like the Aston Martin DB3S and Jaguar’s D-type were complete pussycats by comparison. But the days when you did feel on top of the Monza were among the best you could have behind the wheel of a racing car. You were always busy, always working, always having fun. And then, just occasionally, it would show you what it could do. With 3 litres, drums and an engine that effectively cannot be tuned, it’s nothing like as quick as a D-type built with modern knowledge, but if something happened to level the field a touch then magic could result. I remember one race at Dijon where we qualified midfield in the dry – but the race was damp and after 40 minutes I handed it over to its owner in the lead.

So if the new Monzas are to be a fitting tribute to the original, they will need to keep their drivers on their toes. And don’t think that Ferrari can’t do it in these risk averse modern times – its F12tdf was one of the trickiest cars I’ve ever driven and part of me loved it for that, and the modern Monzas will sit on effectively the same chassis.

More than anything however I hope the 500 or so people who will spend millions buying one will do more than put it in an air-conditioned cocoon. All cars are for driving, Ferraris more than most, and Monzas most of all. Take it from someone who knows.