A Maserati roadtrip – the plan

Please, forgive me, but I actually asked for the diesel. I can’t believe I’m admitting that in public. The thing is, the only way this trip will get even remotely close to being on budget is if we use a car capable of at least 25 MPG. Maserati didn’t have a diesel on the press fleet at the time so we talked about the V6 but ended up with the 3.8 litre, Ferrari built, 523 BHP twin turbo V8. The one you’d want to own. So, what’s the plan? We’re off to visit some of France’s most iconic historic race circuits. Forgotten, faded gems from the time when France was the cradle of European motorsport. Many of these circuits are still public roads and, if you know where to poke, some beautiful relics of the era of Fangio still remain. We might have a cheeky lap or two. Fangio had a 250F and balls. I’m saddled with Dr Darryl Octane and producer Matt who should have a car of his own for tracking and logistical support but (thanks to us chucking all the budget at fuel) will be riding with us instead. A gentle jaunt out in the Quattroporte yesterday returned 21.8 MPG. Anyway, enough fuel economy small talk, here’s the route; You can probably work out part of where we’re going, we’ll share the finished trip with you with an XCAR video, you can join the ride with regular updates here on MotorPunk or follow our progress on Twitter here. Why a Maserati? There’s more to this trip than first meets the eye. This roadtrip will be one to remember.

Pictures of the car? Here’s a taster from our test run this rainy weekend;