My noisy neighbour has just bought a Ferrari. A sixtysomething banker, he took the obvious route to middle-aged gratification. A least it wasn’t a 911.

However, if he was really looking for Car Couture cool, something that doesn’t just shout money and bling, there’s only one Italian car worthy of serious consideration – a Maserati.

Yep, I’d rather own a ten-year-old, £15,000 Maser than ANYTHING in a Ferrari showroom.

It’s flawed, prone to the occasional breakdown and secondhand prices aren’t great but a Maserati has an understated cache you will never achieve in a prancing horse.

Join us for a week in the Quattroporte and you might understand why…