Attenion all: I just received my March issue of Octane magazine. Looking through it I found the interview of Fabio Collina done by one of our favorite people on this site, Marc Sonnery. As always Marc is insightful and all encompassing. In a few pages he has captured the passion of Fabio Collina for his work and his deep respect for his predecessor, Ermanno Cozza. The work that Emma Cozza did and Fabio is doing is of immense importance to all of us who are Maserati lovers. I had no idea that the paper history and the trove of documents held by Maserati was so large but I am thrilled that there is a commitment on the part of Maserati to digitize it and to preserve as much of it in original form as possible. Marc, thank you for your interview, it was both enlightening and informative. Everyone should try to get a copy of the March issue of Octane and read it.
Thanks for embarrassing me on a Sunday afternoon Elliott;-) The issue (number 201) can still be found for a few days in the US in good newstands such as barnes & Noble ad in Europe but in the UK it is already replaced on shelves by the April issue. It can however be bought online (paper issue only). FYI this is an extract of my large interview of Fabio in the new book Classiche Masters (cf its dedicated thread). I had been dreaming of seeing the archives for years so it was a very special treat to visit the hallowed ground!
Failing to find a copy of Octane magazine, you could do Marc a much bigger favor and buy his newest book, Classiche Masters. A little enrichment for Marc goes a long way for the rest of us!
Hi again Elliott, I got paid by contract so sales make no difference to me but I certainly want those who had me do the book, genuine Maseratisti themselves, to be happy with their sales
You've sold yourself short in my opinion but I know little about the book publishing business so I'm sure you are happy and that's all that counts but no matter how it all plays out, the followers of Maserati certainly end up ahead. Bravo on accepting the writing assignment. I'm looking forward to getting my copy soon.
Hi Elliott, No it is better that way, car books sell in limited numbers, it is another world compared to that of successful novels which sell in huge numbers so trust me contract deals are best. Enjoy your copy!
You need to write a Maserati murder mystery occurring at a very exclusive concours perhaps at the Villa D' Este or along Pebble Beach drive. Rubber bumpers must be at the bottom of it all ... The Khamsin Killer of Cumo? No wait ... the perfect location ... any Christie's auction. Auction Most Deadly ...
Hi Bob, Believe it or not apart from the novel I wrote a few years ago (a medieval one though it did have a horse named Khamsin;-)) I wrote the framework of a modern day novel in which the main character has a gold Khamsin that he exercises regularly and with gusto, tucked away at a castle in Burgundy. But I don't know when I would have the time to actually write it as it is very time consuming. Fiction is however very enjoyable because contrary to journalism or history books you are free to dive without a parachute in the bottomless well of your imagination with few constraints and THAT is a wonderful freedom. To make any money out of it is a pipe dream unless you produce such a unicorn that it leaps to the front but good luck with that I do have a plot in mind that could really entice a lot of readers but that one would take years to write. Time will tell if I can ever spare the time for it.
The Lord Peter Whimsey novels had some interesting vehicles in the TV productions at any rate and of course Poirot's Hastings drove his beloved Bentley.
Marc, I've been waiting for you to get really famous so I can sell my copy at a big profit. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Bob, I'm not familiar with that. Being American I can relate better to the Green Hornet and Kato. Image Unavailable, Please Login This car actually had a Maserati 4.7 liter V-8 from a 4-porte.
OMG whatever for? Interesting tidbit. Here, educate yourself: http://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2014/06/on-road-with-bertie-wooster-and-captain.html Yes we are going a bit far a field ... still cars though! And my memory is failing, it was a Lagonda in the TV series anyway ... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hahah hi Carmine, flattered but don't hold your breath for that;-) That is the first edition you have, here below is the 2nd one. Same text, slightly edited. I actually wrote it as a tribute to my muse, an extraordinary lady from Latvia shown on the 2nd cover, and did not feel like pushing to sell it like potatoes at the market so even though it is technically on offer by on demand publishing sales have not been initiated. I just had a few dozen copies made of each and gave them to family and friends. It was a great way to try my hand at fiction, that was the point, not selling it. Who knows the current mandatory isolation might give me the time to start the big novel I want to write As they say every cloud has a silver lining and one should find the positive side of any situation and obviously reading proper books and writing are far more worthy occupations when confined at home than playing scrabble or cards etc. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Your muse looks quite lovely! While you are waiting out Covid-19, the least you can do is an outline of a possible novel, thus having it waiting in the wings ready for when you feel the mood to take action. Stay safe and stay well!
Thanks Elliot she is a very special friend, now happily married to a better man than me and mother of an adorable daughter. Actually at lunch time I dug out the big notebook in which I had started to write down plot elements and yes I will later today get back into it, tiny steps on a long path but the surrounding silence in this period cannot hurt creativity You too take care and be safe and serene amidst all this.
Since I am housebound and I can't annoy those working on my Bora, I have turned to reading, afternoon walks alone (for which the wife is eternally grateful) and looking through the wine cellar for the next bottle to drink. Fortunately there is plenty of good wine beckoning me. I do miss some good Italian cheese though.
Maybe you can order the cheese. I set up an arrangement with a local bookstore, currently closed by confinement law as a non essential business, to order novels to read. We narrow down by email to a choice then he drops them at a friend's cheese store, I pay him by wire payment and go to the cheese store to pick up the book...and some fromage Like my dad who was in boarding school during WWII, he would come back from a stay home with hidden potatoes in his bag and the school guard would boil them getting some in return. Survival benefits from creativity
Yes got a nice email back from Fabio yesterday, he has a big heart, people in Emilia Romagna are strong.
