Hi everyone, it’s Alistair

What a week! I can’t start this newsletter anywhere else than Rome, where Mark attended the global reveal of the new Ferrari Luce. You’ll have heard all about Ferrari’s first EV by now, and no doubt have some robust opinions of your own – but I urge you to check out my colleague Mark’s hands-on video, below, and read his thoughts on MarkEllisReviews.com too.

It’s always fascinating to see a brand go as bold as Ferrari has with the Luce, and I’ll have more to share in the news section below.

I’m in the market for a new car. Something more practical than my Mazda MX-5 – more on which in an upcoming video – but that I’ll still enjoy driving.

This neatly brings me to my spot of the week; a 2018 Ford Fiesta ST-3. which caught my eye as I passed a local car dealer. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Fiesta ST, even since I drove a Mountune version while attending a weekend at Goodwood Revival with Ford about a decade ago. This silver-grey three-door example with 55,000 miles looks very smart, and at £12,975 I’m wondering what the dealer would give me for my MX-5.

I’d be getting more power, but more space, a car that’s three years newer, and one of the all-time great hot hatches. One of the last, too, at least until Renault gives its electric 5 E-Tech and Twingo a bit of a tickle, and the GTRI version of Volkswagen’s new ID Polo arrives.

Will those encourage others to get involved too? I’d love to see a hot hatch resurgence, and I think EVs suit the genre really well. Once battery density and motor efficiency improves enough – and costs come down – I’m hopeful of a new golden era of small, fun electric hatchbacks that lean into the hot hatches of old. In the meantime, I might have to take that Fiesta ST for a test drive…

Are you looking for a new car too? Perhaps you just want to show off your daily drive? Or maybe you’ve simply spotted something cool in the classifieds - get in touch and let me know what you’ve found.

[email protected]

I’ll feature the best spots and stories in future newsletters.

Naturally, the biggest news of the week was the electric Ferrari Luce. Its design is…challenging, but I love the interior and I think we’ll all get used to it. Just as we have with the Jaguar Type 01. It’s a brave move from Ferrari, along with designers Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, and while for most it’s enough to have Enzo spinning in his grave, I reckon it’ll appeal to the newly wealthy.

I’m talking about the ultra-rich who have no interest in look-at-me supercars, and perhaps even hate the idea of a noisy V12 engine. They wear discrete luxury clothing by Loro Piana, travel with a Rimowa suitcase, capture memories with a Leica, listen to records on a Linn Sondek and eat in restaurants you’ve never heard of.

The Luce lets these people access the cachet of Ferrari, slip a key fob with a prancing horse into the valet’s hand, and shop for garments at the company’s new high-end fashion stores where F1 merchandise is nowhere to be seen. All without stooping ungracefully into a supercar, pretending to understand downforce and knowing their Farina from their Fangio. It’s a Ferrari for people who haven’t owned one before, just as the Cayenne was for Porsche, the Bentayga for Bentley and the California – later the Roma and now the Amalfi – was for Ferrari.

This morning I spent a joyous 40 minutes watching a YouTube video by Classic Driver. It’s a guide to what’s probably the most exclusive (and certainly the most beautiful) classic car event in the world, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

Bit of a mouthful, I know. Basically this is a car show in the grounds of a beautiful hotel on Lake Como, Italy. It’s packed full of classic Ferraris, Maseratis, Mercedes and more, plus modern classics like the Bugatti Veyron and ultra-rare Volkswagen Nardo. Classic Driver does a lovely job of showcasing the event, and I urge you to check it out. It’s got me excited for the summer car season, which kicks off with the London Concours in early-June.

Thanks for reading The Next Drive. Catch you here next week!

Until then,

Alistair