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.