The result was the sexy and dangerous Hai (or "Shark") which, again, Monteverdi himself styled and began building in 1970.The Hai's reputation for ill-handling and its massive price tag overshadowed its 180mph top speed and it is thought only two were built.. What goes through the mind of a rock colossus as he falls from a coconut tree? Depends on your rock colossus, of course So let's be specific. What passed through Keith Richards's mind as he made his short, as-the-crow-plummets journey to the beach last April? Did the whole of his life flash by in that second and a half? In what order did it flash? Did the flash begin with Spitfires circling over Dartford, or end there? Did he flash on the good he's done or the bad (or are ethics not relevant in the moment of life's consummation)? Did he re-dream the riff to "Satisfaction"? Did his cheeks smart again to the sting of Mountie palms? This time, did his toy Colt 45 have real bullets in the magazine? Or was that second-and-a-half a riot of cold, slapping, material panic? Jesus, man, this is it! Who'da thunk it? Rolling Stone stone-dead in the sand in his smalls, his bald patch an arbour for crabs. The idea wasn't to build a rival to Ferrari, but simply make the kind of car that Monteverdi himself wanted to own.
He enlisted the help of Italian design house Frua, bought engines and transmissions from Chrysler, and the elegant 375 series was born.With sophisticated 2+2 bodywork and oodles of power, the 375 sold in low numbers to international businessmen. Despite the musical inference of its name, the Note's engine was disappointingly cacophonous. This is one of the noisiest - in a bad way - cars that I have driven since the silencer broke on my old Mini Cooper (the neighbours were prone to think the Red Arrows were making a fly-past every time I came home). It is a dreary, wearing combination of engine moan, wind rush and tyre rumble that is ever present, but reaches a crescendo on motorways when you have to shout to be heard - quite rare in a modern car, that. I don't imagine the 1.5-litre diesel is any quieter.For all that, we should be proud of the Note because it is built by Geordies.
They haven't had much to do these last few years, so anything that keeps them off the streets must be good. Britain can thus bask in the glory of making the best Renault-based, mini MPV-supermini in the world.Michael Booth's 'Just As Well I'm Leaving' is now out in paperback (£7.99, Jonathan Cape). He promises it's not about carsIt's a classic: Monteverdi HaiI've wracked my brains to come up with a classic Nissan, but I don't believe such a thing exists, so instead I'm going to tell you about the Monteverdi Hai.Back in the 1960s, a Swiss Ferrari dealer called Peter Monteverdi decided to build a supercar. sorry, what was I saying?There were some less Noteworthy (stop me!) things about this car. The top-of-the-range SVE I tried had alloy wheels, leather bits inside, a CD changer, climate control, blacked-out rear windows and six airbags as standard for £12,695. As you would expect of a car designed to ferry parents and their children, the interior is chocka with cubby holes and cup holders. The boot has a useful false folding floor (perfect for contraband booze cruisers, I would imagine), with a spacious basement beneath.
