After all this stuff about saving the planet, it would do us all good to have a breath of fresh air in the form of something totally irresponsible. A Lamborghini, for instance – they’re always good for a fantasy or two.

Or are they? According to Top Gear‘s Jeremy Clarkson, the company’s take-over by Audi has tamed the wild excesses of the Italian original. He seems somewhat disappointed in the Murcielago LP 640, apart from its power and speed, and I detect a certain nostalgia for the fins, scoops and protuberances usually associated with a Lambo. But I think it’s successful, in the looks department, at least. That dose of German seriousness has taken the edge off the usual Italian flair maybe, but it still looks like a Lamborghini.

So you have to drive it carefully? Isn’t that true of all supercars?

There is something about Italian cars that makes them endlessly desirable. The names help of course – consider how the words Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati force your mouth around unfamiliar sounds so that already you are speaking of something different, exotic and romantic. And there is the Italian body design, so much braver and adventurous than anyone else’s. The sound of the engine, the impracticality, the exhibitionism, everything makes an Italian car the stuff of dreams.

But the really strange thing about them is that everyone’s favorite is the Alfa Romeo. They may not make supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini, they may have a reputation for falling apart at the slightest opportunity and there may be far better cars in the same class – but the Alfa has soul. We are prepared to put up with the failings because … it’s an Alfa.

You don’t believe me? I remember a Top Gear program in which they put up the Alfa 147 GTA against a Ford Focus RS and a Volkswagen Golf R32. Predictably, the Alfa lost out in all departments except acceleration. But, when it came for the presenters to choose which car they’d rather have, they all chose…

this one.