The sight and sound of nearly 17-litres and 2,000 bhp barking a tuneful chorus would be quite a spectacle, but for the time being we’ll just have to make do with the FF on its own, with of course former World Rally Champion Markku Alen behind the wheel.

The venue for the video below was the Arjeplog track, in Northern Sweden, about 100 km South of the Arctic Circle. The track is probably the most challenging surface for Ferrari’s latest 12-cylinder which features an innovative 4RM four-wheel drive system that was highly praised by Markku Alen, the Finnish ice track specialist and winner of the World Rally Championship in 1978.

At temperatures between -15° and -30° Celsius on the steep inclines and challenging corners of the 14km “Forest” track, Markku was able to test the FF in conditions that few (if any) owners are ever likely to experience.

Traction was at a premium on the extremely low-grip surfaces, but thanks to the FF’s 47/53 front/rear weight bias and its clever differentials, the car (and driver) were able to demonstrate its safety, stability and performance to great aplomb.

Even more impressive, given the scenario painted in the introductory paragraph, the FF was fitted with standard Pirelli Sotto Zero tyres. Not studded or skinny winters. In fact Ferrari tell us that the FF on standard Pirelli Sotto Zeros can perform a full throttle standing start on a 20% (1 in 5) incline on snow, with no wheel spin. Impressive eh?

Markku commented afterwards that the FF is especially enjoyable to drive, even for a former World Champion – but then he would say that wouldn’t he? What’s not to like about driving a £200,000+ supercar on snow and ice?

DC Shoes’ Gymkhana 4 – The Hollywood Megamercial, reached 2nd place in this year’s chart, but unlike Volkswagen’s Super Bowl ad released in February, Gymkhana 4 has only been out for just 3 months. We were interested in speaking with the Hoonigan himself, finding out what motivates him to be so successful and what he’s got in store for us in 2012.

Over the course of an enjoyable hour with Ken Block, I got to know the businessman, motorsport fan and driver, during which time I learned how little of the enormous success of Gymkhana had gone to his head. We also explored whether his two seasons in WRC had made him a better driver, his attitude to driving stunts on the public road and his reflections on competing against Kimi Raikkonen in rallying.

We covered a lot of ground, so bear with me as I try to relay the conversation, which was squeezed into his busy schedule whilst testing his H.F.H.V. Ford Fiesta at the Dirtfish Rally School, east of Seattle.

Let’s start with the commercial side of his life, namely his behind-the-scenes role as Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes.

DC Shoes and the Gymkhana videos

If you don’t already know, 44-year old Block co-founded DC Shoes together with Damon Way back in 1993, before selling to surf clothing giant Quiksilver Inc. for $87 million in 2003. Back in 2003/2004 DC Shoes was generating nearly $100 million in revenue which has since grown to around $500 million (in 2010), so if you’d pictured Block as a fun loving daredevil without any work ethic, think again.

DC Shoes was one of the first skateboard shoe companies to make extensive use of professional endorsements, and in Block’s role as Chief Brand Officer he joined Travis Pastrana in 2006 to compete for Subaru Rally Team USA. After competing successfully in the 2006 Rally America National Championship (finishing 2nd overall), Block embraced the world of X Games – finishing 3rd in the very first event.

The original Gymkhana video appeared in September 2008, but like all the best viral marketing success stories, Block really didn’t plan to create his own Internet meme. Earlier in the year with plans to enter himself in a local Gymkhana event in Southern California, Block invited California-based Crawford Performance to build him a 530hp Subaru Impreza STi, but when the competition was cancelled Block decided to put his car to use and filmed the 4:25 minute video ‘Ken Block Gymkhana Practice’. He’d basically built a car, but had nothing else to do with it.

Since then the original Gymkhana video has clocked up 11.2 million views on YouTube, so that’s over 22 million views at his first attempt.

Ken Block takes to the streets of Los Angeles to test out Ford’s new SYNC system in his H.F.H.V. Ford Fiesta race car.

I then asked Ken what effect has Gymkhana, as a series from 1 to 4, had on the DC Shoes brand and on the personality of the brand in the way that they are able to convey what it is about DC Shoes that people should engage with?

SD:  But obviously it’s more than just eye-candy, isn’t it Ken? Because people wouldn’t carry on being engaged with the Gymkhana series if they didn’t identify with the videos, either because they aspire to be like you, or they recognise something in you that they see in themselves.

SD:  I am sure you are aware that Gymkhana 2 wasn’t initially as successful as your first video when it came out, mainly because the marketing message was more prominent. Are you conscious of that feedback and have you then adjusted your approach to better meet the expectations of the audience?

SD:  This week we’ve been celebrating the Viral Video Chart’s Top 20 branded videos of all time in which Gymkhana 4 is the 5th most viral with 2.1 million shares, whilst Gymkhana 3 is 2nd with 2.7 million shared (incidentally top is Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ with 4.7 million shares).

Visit Unruly Media’s Viral Video Chart for more information and to read the article, “Darth Vader can’t Gymkhana”.

Whilst Volkswagen’s ad has been viewed 46 million times and shared socially an incredible 4.71 million times, Gymkhana 4 has so far received 12.9 million views in the 3 months since it was launched. That’s a share/view rate of 16.3% compared to 10.2% for the pocket-sized Vader meme, and compares against 6.3% for Gymkhana 3. All in all, Gymkhana is on target to have clocked up 150 million views since its inception in 2008. That makes it the most successful series of branded videos of all time.

Naturally I asked Block, why he believed the series has been so successful, and what he can do to top this again with Gymkhana 5?

Some words of advice for other marketeers

SD:  Without giving away any trade secrets, what would be your advice to other marketers seeking to connect with their audiences and emulate your success with their own campaigns?

You watch the videos. Then you buy the shoes. Capiche?

SD:  I think what a lot of brands haven’t got their heads around yet is that social media marketing is all about truth, and integrity and engaging with an audience on real values – not because it’s a more honourable medium, but there’s no hiding place, so the brands that succeed are the ones who allow their customers to come inside and engage with them on an equal level.

And it plays to those brands who are able to speak from a personal, rather than corporate, level and that’s very much what Gymkhana enables DC Shoes to do.

SD:  And there’s also you as a personality. A lot of brands don’t have a person that people can connect to, nor do they express much in the way of a personality for the brand as a whole. Consumers need to connect with a brand at this personal level in order for social marketing to work.

Combining his love of design and creativity with driving

SD:  You started out designing silk-screen T-shirts, do you still enjoy creative design and how much of your input goes into the Gymkhana videos?

Before he allows me to move on, Ken then asks me a question about the appetite of audiences for feature-length videos.

SD:  Not really. Several years ago we were one of the first content provoiders to produce videos longer than 10-minutes and found that if the content was rich and engaging enough, then people would sit through 10 or even 20 minutes of automotive content with very little drop off – in fact 80% or more would watch these videos from beginning to end.

On our branded content platform, SkiddPlayer, we regularly see the longer-form version of adverts (2 mins or more) outperforming the 15 or 30 second spots and as more people view these videos from portable devices such as iPads, the time people are prepared to spend will most likely increase. Online viewers are now so used to watching Top Gear and other TV programs online (on Hulu or BBC iPlayer), that they’re often looking for something with a story which provides good entertainment. You simply cannot achieve that within 30 seconds or even 1 minute.

Whilst the average time spent online is still half of that spent watching TV, it is growing and will soon be 3 hours per day for adults. So it’s getting easier to find room for 7-minutes of self-indulgent automotive hoonery.

The Gymkhana World Tour

SD:  This year’s 3-stop Gymkhana World Tour was hugely successful – tell us more about your plans to make the tour “bigger and better” in 2012.

Partnering with other brands

SD:  Since choosing to drive with Ford (Focus & Fiesta) your promotional connection with the car you drive has become more prominent (i.e. 43 Fiestas campaign) – how do you balance the interests of each brand? (Monster Energy, Ford, DC Shoes, Mobil 1 etc)

SD:  I then mention the DiRT3 launch at Battersea, London earlier this year which I joined.

The meaning of #43

SD:  Ken, there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to ask you, what’s the significance of your trademark No.43 race number?

Yo Australia! Please hoon responsibly.

SD:  When at the Melbourne leg of the Gymkhana World Tour you spent time appealing to your fans to hoon ‘responsibly’ – are you concerned about fans trying to copy your stunts on the road?

SD:  Are you involved in any road safety programs yourself?

The World Rally Championship (WRC)

SD:  How have you found your first 2 seasons in WRC?

SD:  How did you feel being the sole American in a mainly European-dominated championship?

SD:  Has it helped you become a better driver?

SD:  What do you think is the main difference between you and the more experienced competitors such as Hirvonen, Loeb and Solberg?

SD:  Rallying is much closer to the Gymkhana style of driving, but do you have an interest in circuit racing as well?

SD:  Ok, we’re on the home straight – last few thoughts now. Colin McRae would have loved Gymkhana wouldn’t he?

SD:  You’ve raced against Kimi Raikkonen in WRC and he’s now heading back to F1 in 2012. How do you rate him?

SD:  Would you expect Kimi to be a better driver than when he was last in F1?

SD:  Would you like to drive Formula 1 yourself?

SD:  Finally, last weekend was the annual Race of Champions event in Dusseldorf. We would love to see you take part, have you been asked?

SD:  Ken, thanks very much for your time. We are very impressed with what you have achieved in your business and in your sport, so keep doing what you do so well and we’ll keep watching.

Images: Kindly provided by DC Shoes and Ken Block Racing.

The 599XX is a non-homologated race car – think of it as a very exclusive track day vehicle – which enables its most valued clients to participate in a track-based research and development programme for the brand’s 2012-2013 race seasons. On Ferrari specific track days, owners get to put the car through its paces, whilst Ferrari benefits through the collection of vehicle data. Oh, and of course the $1.5 million earned from selling each car.

Unveiled this week at the Bologna Motor Show, the 599XX Evolution Package now features improved chassis dynamics thanks to an active aerodynamic package integrated with the vehicles’ electronic control systems, and the adoption of new Pirelli tyres. The car is also more powerful than before with 739 bhp, and weighs 35 kg less.

The key to the aero package is an active rear wing design which represents a new aerodynamic concept called ‘opening gap’. The wing features two flaps, with profiles similar to those used in Formula 1, which rotate electronically to adjust the downforce between the front and rear axles in relation to vehicle speed and the manoeuvre being affected. The result is better performance in the corners.

The 599XX active rear wing is actuated automatically according to specific parameters which are integrated with the car’s other control functions (ESP, ABS, SCM and F1-Trac). As a result of this integration, all the electronic controls have been recalibrated with the ‘opening gap’ logic based on; steering wheel angle, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration and vehicle speed.

A new aerodynamics package for the 599XX (functional rather than beautiful) includes a modified front splitter and a new rear diffuser featuring a larger surface area and redesigned fences and foot-plates. Total downforce at 125 mph is boosted to 330 kg when the flaps are open and 440 kg in the closed configuration.

The adoption of side exhausts allowed the engineers to increase engine power by 20 bhp to 739 bhp (again at 9000 rpm), while maximum torque has been increased to 700 Nm. When combined with a final gear ratio that’s slightly shorter than before, the result is that the car laps Fiorano in just 1 min 15 seconds compared to the standard 599XX which recorded a 1 min 16.5 second lap. To put that in perspective, the 599 GTO road car lapped Fiorano in 1 min 24 secs.

That Nurburgring Record

The original 599XX made the headlines back in 2010, when it became the first production-derived sports car to break the 7-minute barrier around the 20.832 km Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. Its time of 6 min 58.16 sec has yet to be beaten, although it sounds like this new Evo Package version is just the right car to do it.

Whereas Ferrari choose either the backdrop of a flowing mountain road, or some sideways action with Nando around Fiorano, their Italian neighbour Lamborghini usually adopt a more ‘edgy’ theme and with the more approachable 700 bhp Aventador, they seem more intent than ever to accentuate just how much rage there is left in the old bull.

These latest ads by the agency Philipp und Keuntje GmbH, Hamburg, Germany are beautifully illustrated by Herr Müller and depict four states of pain experienced when driving the Aventador.

Like the car, they’re unconventional, which is clearly Lamborghini’s intent behind the campaign, but it almost feels like they are compensating for the increased refinement and civility which has inevitably touched its most powerful of supercars.

But with Ferrari positioning itself as the automotive equivalent of Don Giovanni, the bull fighters from Sant’Agata are staying true to their heavy metal roots. On acid.

It’s good to see parent company Audi taking such good care of the brand.

The Truth Hurts: Gunshot

“It’s not a car, it’s a weapon. Sounds like a gunshoot and feels like one too.” - Michael Köckritz, Ramp Magazin.

The Truth Hurts: Delirium

“The acceleration is apocalyptic. It can deliver pure delirium on demand.” - James May, Top Gear.

The Truth Hurts: Eyeballs

“If you slam on the brakes at 100km/h, you come to a halt in just 30 meters. Your eyeballs should then pop back into their sockets.” - Ulrich Safferling, Auto-Illustrierte.

The Truth Hurts: Neck

“Gearshifts can be as unforgiving as a professionally executed punch in the neck.” - Jan Baedeker, Classicdriver.com.

Higher-res Image Gallery

You would do exactly what I did a few months ago – get your skinny behind into the nearest bucket seat and start evaluating as many car/tyre combos as you could fit into the day.

We were spoilt for choice. Literally.

The track; Circuit Estoril in Portugal. Our hosts; Michelin. The tyres; Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup, Pilot Super Sports, PS2 and Pilot racing slicks.

And the cars? How about, every major Porsche 997 variant, Audi’s V8 and V10 R8, Audi TTRS, BMW M3, Ferrari’s 458 Italia, KTM X-Bow, Nissan GT-R, Gumpert Apollo.. You get the picture.

From track to street

Back-to-back testing provided the opportunity to evaluate the different characteristics of the tyres and how the technologies developed for the track have been passed on to the road.

Our main focus of the day was to learn about the relationship between Michelin’s race tyres and those which you or I can buy for our road cars.

I’ve been a customer for many years and yet I hadn’t realised just how seriously Michelin takes its racing. Rather than being a platform to show off their brand, racing is at the core of the company’s research and development programme, working closely with partners such as Porsche, Audi, Citroen and BMW.

Michelin treat all racing teams in a fair and equal way, collecting data, mixing it together and then advising teams on the most appropriate tyre choice, without actually sharing any identifiable data from a specific team.

But it’s not just global car manufacturers that Michelin works closely with, the tuning industry provides an important source of insight, blurring the boundary between road tyres and those best suited for the latest Nurburgring lap record.

We’re told that Michelin are the biggest spender within their industry on R&D, committing over 500 million Euros to the task of keeping their tyres at the very top.

So committed to the purpose of racing as their primary means of R&D, that the company says it has no plans to compete against Pirelli to supply tyres to Formula 1. Competing against other tyre makers is at the core of Michelin’s philosophy, and it believes that achieving high-performance over distance with consistent performance is better earned through competition.

Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport

Before travelling down to Estoril, we asked what you’d like to know more about and in fact during the day I was in constant contact with you via Twitter.

The most common question concerned Michelin’s latest high-performance tyre, the Pilot Super Sport, which will eventually supersede the well-respected PS2, which we got to compare it against out on track.

If you’re familiar with Michelin’s established track-day tyre, the Pilot Sport Cup+, then you’ll be aware of its benefits but also some of its disadvantages.

Cup tyres behave in a pseudo-slick-tyre way, benefiting from some heat-cycling before hard use and providing chewing-gum levels of grip and consistency at the limit.

Inside the 458 Italia during a fast lap of Estoril circuit. You can see how well suited the Pilot Super Sport is to such treatment.

The downside is, they don’t last very long – not if you’re used to the lifespan of a typical high-performance road tyre – and they’re ultra-tricky to drive on in the wet or when temperatures drop below 7 degrees C.

I’ve worn through a set of new £1,000+ Pilot Sport Cups in just a single weekend, which can bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened track-day junkie.

Swap a set of Cup tyres for the more conventional PS2s and on track you’ll wonder where all the fun has gone. At the limit, the PS2s squeal like pig, give up their grip more abruptly and are more likely to lock-up under braking for slower corners.

As road tyres go, they’re one of the best, but out on track it was quickly evident how ill-suited they are to the task of consistent high-speed lapping.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on a similarly fast lap of Estoril circuit. This time the GT3 Cup is wearing a set of Pilot Slicks.

The new Pilot Super Sports represent a ‘step change’ in the capabilities of road-based performance tyres – equivalent to the alchemist’s trick of turning lead into gold. They’re a road tyre, but not as we have previously defined the breed.

On track they behave similarly to the Cup tyres, plenty of grip and consistency and none of the squealing so evident in the PS2s, whilst on the road they feel docile, reassuring and a fitting replacement for the PS2.

Whilst they’re not quite as quick on track as the Cups, they offer the same consistency which enables you to concentrate on trimming your lines and carrying more speed, without concerning yourself with the performance drop-off of an overheating road tyre.

The Super Sports are more stable under heavy braking, with less understeer a more positive steering response and a wonderfully wide slip-angle to play within on the limit.

Ferrari 458 Italia on Michelin Pilot Super Sports. These tyres were tortured for ‘research purposes’ shortly after this photograph..

If it’s credentials weren’t already solid enough, Pilot Super Sports last ‘twice’ as long as PS2s out on track, with around the same lifespan on the road.

When fitted to our Porsche 911 and Audi R8 test mules, the differences out on track were immediately apparent. Whilst nothing can match the purity, grip and response of Michelin’s racing slicks, we all agreed that the tyre we would choose to smuggle into our hand luggage for the return flight home, would be the Super Sport.

The two-wheel drive MTM Audi R8, awaiting a fresh set of rubber.

If there’s a downside of such a tyre innovation, it’s the question of whether owners are able to fit them to their latest purchase. Although Michelin has worked with manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW M and Ferrari in developing the Pilot Super Sport, Porsche in particular must put the tyre through their own homologation processes before approving the tyre for fitment to their range of cars.

This N-rated classification, which you will find on the sidewalls of all Porsche approved tyres, is the result of their independent testing for dry handling and braking, wet handling, hydroplaning, rolling circumference, high-speed running, wear, rolling resistance, noise and comfort – all of which is then optimised to deliver the desired levels of Porsche-ness.

Whilst the Pilot Super Sports felt ideally suited to the 997′s we drove around the dry Estoril track, they must also suit other road conditions and the abilities of a wide range of drivers, so frustrating as it might seem, the Pilot Super Sports are unlikely to be homologated for Porsche cars until late Summer 2012 at the earliest.

Porsche’s 911 and Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport – a marriage made in heaven. But unfortunately you can’t chose them on your Porsche yet, until they are officially homologated. Big shame.

The consequence of fitting a non N-rated tyre to your Porsche is purely one of insurance, both when claiming on Porsche’s warranty and if the worst happens and you’re involved in a road accident. It’s a grey-ish area and one which I have frequently crossed with the Porsche’s I’ve owned myself, but it’s a risk you should be aware of should you decide to take the plunge early.

Fear not though, if you really must wear the latest and greatest footwear on your Porsche, then we’re reliably informed Porsche’s new 991 model will be available with them as an OEM fitment when shipments begin.

Interestingly, we learned from our time with Michelin that even though the Pilot Super Sport is normally quicker than PS2 and Cup+ is generally quicker than both on track, this is not always the situation for every car.

For instance, the Michelin PS3 is a better tyre on the KTM X-Bow than the Super Sport, and Michelin often advise a less sporty tyre for its tuner customers, depending on the unique dynamics and balance of their cars.

So, bear that in mind the next time you go tyre shopping – the widest and stickiest aren’t necessarily the fastest – and with very few exceptions, you can’t go far wrong with Michelin’s latest Pilot Super Sport.

The Daily Mail Newspaper (the last bastion of truly fine reporting) claimed that “Felipe Massa was urged to ‘destroy’ Lewis Hamilton prior to their collision in last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix”, but then went on to clarify that Smedley told Massa, ‘Hold Hamilton as much as we can,’ and then added, ‘Destroy his race as much as we can. Come on, boy!’

So, Ferrari’s off-the-record spokesperson has sought to clarify the misunderstanding in a blog post on ferrari.com

So consider yourself verbally chastised for entertaining the thought of anything improper – it can be pretty grim up north in Middlesbrough and sometimes the vocabulary of the locals reflects this..

Firstly we need to start with a rudimentary definition of what it means to be a ‘cool brand’, since, as I will explain, ‘cool’ doesn’t necessarily mean successful.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Expert Council, says “Cool is subjective and personal. But being identified as a Cool Brand by the British public and a panel of influential opinion formers implies it is a brand that most Brits wish to own.”

A brand is essentially an identity which reflects the qualities and values of its owner, one that used to be defined by the brand itself, but in this era of digital and social media is largely a product of public perception. If a brand really is cool, then the evidence should be visible for all of us to see.

So, a working definition of ‘cool’ will most likely include;

• a brand which people aspire to own,
• which people then feel proud to openly display within their peer groups,
• are happy to associate themselves with the other brand owners,
• and which conveys upon them the same distinctive qualities that they associate with the brand they like.

Or to put it another way, a cool brand must inspire admiration, aspiration, a willingness to associate and a mutual sense of identity.

American clothing brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, used to be cool; many of us admired the quality and style of their items, felt comfortable being identified as an A & F customer but then once everybody was wearing them, we felt less happy being associated with the brand.

I was reading an article this morning by Colin Morrison about ‘Five reasons why Facebook may be doomed’, and one of the reasons he cited is that Facebook is losing its cool because it’s simply too popular – too common.

What began as a community of students sharing their pictures and news, has now become an essential tool for parents keeping track of their kids. What may have been cool (in a geeky sort of way) has now become a metaphor for weirdness. Would you want to be like Facebook? Probably not.

Just as it would be hard to deny how successful Facebook has become (it’s on target for more than $1bn profit in 2011), the same cannot be said for phone maker RIM (producer of Blackberry devices), whose shares have plummeted 50 per cent in the past few months with calls for its joint-CEOs to step down. Despite the financial turmoil and loss of demand for its smartphone and tablet devices, the CoolBrands survey found that while 47% of women voted Apple their favourite tech brand, some 44% voted for Blackberry.

This news is unlikely to appease RIM’s current shareholder revolt, but shows that being cool (or not) doesn’t necessarily translate into the bottom line.

So how did Aston Martin become a cool brand?

Cheliotis commented; “Smooth, sexy and sophisticated; British built, high quality and hand finished, let’s be honest, young or old, male or female, opinion former or British public, who wouldn’t aspire to own what is truly the coolest car on the road. Number one in five of the last six years, this British icon is truly the coolest of the cool.”

From Aston’s continued association with the 007 Bond films, their passion and success in motorsport and the bold innovativeness of the One-77 supercar, Aston Martin as a brand, represents the kind of person we’d all like to be – confident, successful, well-liked and courageous, yet subtle and classy.

The brand as a tool for self-identity is strong in this most British of car makers – Aston Martin is like the guy at school which all the girls want to be with, whilst all the other guys just want to copy.

So how have the other brands being doing?

How other brands can get in on the action?

The one question we haven’t answered so far is, “what difference does it make if a brand is perceived to be cool?” As an accolade, this latest award bestowed on Aston Martin is generating thousands of news articles and millions of views – it’s called ‘earned media’ and you just can’t buy this kind of positive messaging for your brand.

People who read about a ‘cool brand’ will reflect on what it could mean for their own image and perception by in their peer group, so whilst being perceived as cool won’t automatically translate into a bottom-line revenue improvement, it’s certainly a very valuable asset – one that saves a huge amount of marketing spend and which should lead to increased profitability, providing, as was unfortunately lacking with RIM, that you continue to provide products which people want to buy.

So the takeaway message from Aston Martin’s success is two-fold; build a brand identity and personality that customers would like to adopt as their own, but make sure you then build the products that such an affiliation would normally lead them to buy. A cool brand without neat products is something of a hollow achievement.

But Aston Martin is not the only cool brand, and whilst this latest CoolBrands survey is notable for the iconic brands surveyed, it’s not entirely comprehensive or indeed conclusive. Nor is coolness the preserve of luxury brands.

Lexus is the top-selling hybrid car maker in 2011 and for many buyers the epitome of cool, when choosing to express their environmentally conscious values. MINI continues to be a cool brand for many, despite their ubiquity, whilst Citroen has made great progress in rebuilding ‘affordable chic’ back into its brand with cars such as the DS3 and now DS4.

Even Volvo shows signs of venturing cool-wards with its latest S60/V60 and XC60 models. The one thing they all have in common is a distinctive personality and attributes which make them stand out on our crowded roads.

Of the Top 20 CoolBrands, only Ferrari (8th) and Maserati (20th) were in the fight with Aston. Morgan were also in the Top 66 brands in the survey. The remaining automotive brands on the list were unclassified and included – Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce.

So Aston Martin is yet again the coolest of the cool, but rather than dismiss it as a meaningless trinklet, it might be worth taking a closer look at how Aston have achieved this position.

Alex Vaidya, Head of Digital at Porsche Cars GB tweeted this morning, “Being voted the coolest instantly makes you uncool!” – well in that case I’m sure Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO, must be cursing the brand’s latest trophy and wishing he’d kept a lower profile.

Perhaps not.

McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd will be responsible for all of McLaren Automotive’s regional operations throughout its Asia Pacific network including importation, distribution, logistics, sales, marketing, technical support and financial services for McLaren’s range of high-performance sports cars.

The wholly-owned McLaren subsidiary will be based in Singapore with an initial team of around 10 McLaren Automotive employees managing retailers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Plans are under consideration for expansion into mainland China.

McLaren already have a strong reputation in the region from its Formula One success, having won races in the Asia Pacific region every season since 2007.

One fascinating statistic revealed last night is that around a quarter of all existing McLaren F1 road cars have their homes in the Asia Pacific region, so McLaren Automotive naturally assume existing owners will be keen to add an MP4-12C to their collection and indeed this is borne out by news that the 5 McLaren Automotive retailers in the region already hold an 18 months order book on average.

Ron Dennis, the company’s Chairman, also made his ambitions clear at a press conference last night – to grow into a multi-billion dollar business within the next 10 years.

Dennis confirmed that McLaren’s future was still very much in F1, but that racing would only account for around 10 per cent of the group’s income as other divisions expand.

They aim to sell around 4,000 cars each year (around 1,000 cars have been sold in the MP4-12C’s first trading year), with 43 per cent of sales in North America, 35 per cent in Europe and the rest in the Middle-East and Asia Pac. This compares with around 7,000 cars sold by Ferrari today, although their President Luca di Montezemolo has previously stated their ambition to reach 10,000 cars within the decade.

Dennis is determined to “..reach a turnover in the billions” and he said “we will achieve it.” Watch out Ferrari..

But what you perhaps didn’t know is that he got the chance to schmooze with Ferrari’s F1 drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa a few days beforehand, doing what any self-respecting petrol-head would give his right arm to do – playing with a Ferrari 458 Italia around Fiorano test track.

Alonso and Massa took a break from their Italian Grand Prix preparations to give Jay Kay the ride of his life and from the video, clearly enjoyed doing so. Afterwards, the Jamiroquai lead singer returned the favour – although not before both F1 drivers vacated their seats and let a Ferrari PR man take their place..

Alonso and Massa each drove the circuit at speed whilst chatting with Jay as a passenger – with Alonso pulling a series of smoke-filled ‘donuts’ – before handing over to Felipe.

Fernando Alonso, Jay Kay, Felipe Massa and the 458 Italia at Fiorano circuit.

“Yeah, [Fiorano is] a unique experience, and one that’s a real privilege to go around at. I always enjoy it, it’s fantastic you know,” the singer said afterwards.

Jay Kay owns a collection of rare Ferraris himself and has clocked up plenty of track time in these and the other cars he’s owned. But despite performing in front of such a talented pair of drivers, the singer acquitted himself well.

Ferrari CEO, Luca di Montezemelo with Jay Kay at Fiorano.

Afterwards Massa and Alonso praised the singer’s attempts out on the circuit, “It was fun, he was concentrating on another[sic] style of driving. After our laps he did another couple of hot laps as well, and it was good fun. We enjoy, and we spin the tyres, make some smoke,” said Alonso.

Felipe was even more complimentary of the singer’s prowess behind the wheel of the 458 Italia, “After, his driving and he’s driving the right lines, braking [in] the right place, going sideways after the corner so he was pretty fantastic, so…And for sure [if] we will try to sing – it will be much much worse!” said Massa.

Jay Kay and his band Jamiroquai played to a packed house in their headline show at the F1 Rocks concert in Monza on Friday (September 9), the capacity crowd at Monza Stadio Brianteo were treated to a greatest hits set, drawn from the Grammy winning band’s 20 year career.

Interview with Jay Kay by Ferrari.com

Whilst touring around Ferrari’s Maranello facilities, Jay gave an exclusive interview, speaking about his love of Ferrari, how his music relates to cars and the numerous Ferrari’s that he owns including a recently aquired F40 that he calls “the knicker elastic”..

Until today Maserati has been producing saloons, coupes and two- or four-seat convertibles. Whether they were named Quattroporte, GranTurismo or GranCabrio – or, before them, Ghibli, Mistral, Bora or Indy – their common denominator rested in two words: sportiness and luxury.

Times have changed: sportiness and luxury today don’t have just one definition and Maserati believe they can also take the form of a dynamic looking and high performing sport luxury SUV.

They go on to say, “..For some reason SUVs today never seem to offer the kind of uplifting driving pleasure and luxury atmosphere that are two givens of today’s high-end sports and luxury cars.” Really? What about BMW’s X5/X6, Porsche’s Cayenne and Merc’s ML range?

See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil…

Maserati would have us believe they are inventing a whole new segment, rather than playing catch-up after underestimating the sustained appetite for SUVs, particularly in developing countries.

Maserati’s press release goes on to say, “..the idea of a sport luxury SUV is not totally new to Maserati. Many will remember the Kubang concept that was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. At a time in which few other brands were going in the direction of a sport luxury SUV, Maserati was already thinking to build one.”

Again conveniently forgetting that BMW’s X5 had been launched 2 years earlier, with Porsche’s Cayenne following shortly thereafter.

To further shoot down their credibility, Maserati go on to say that synergies with their sister brand Jeep were the catalyst for Maserati’s own interpretation of a sport luxury SUV. Thankfully they quickly confirm that all major system components of the Kubang will unmistakably be Maserati: style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all be 100% Maserati in continuity with the brand’s core values of sportiness, style, elegance, luxury, performance and craftsmanship.

A new-generation of high-tech Maserati proprietary engines will be designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli and will be produced in Maranello by Ferrari, whilst an 8 speed automatic transmission with specific performance settings to suit the configuration of suspension, brakes and steering, will be exclusively developed in Modena by the Maserati Product Development Department.

Gallery