Best Italian cars – Italy's greats from Alfa to Zonda
It’s Italian cars that put journalists at the most risk of summoning nauseating hyperbole and time-worn cliches, for good reason. These are the best
Italy is undoubtedly the land of the supercar. From Ferrari to Lamborghini, Maserati and, latterly, Pagani, Italy does multi-cylindered exotics like Germany does Autobahn-slaying übersaloons. In only late April 2025 alone, the latest in a long line of astonishing super-focused mid-engined Ferrari supercars, the 296 Speciale, broke cover, as first drives of Alfa Romeo’s limited-run mid-engined coachbuild also hit the web and newsstands.
But to dismiss Italy as only making supercars, would be reductive. Over the years Italian manufacturers have taken on the very best hot hatches, supersaloons and grand tourers with their own entries, with the very best infused with the same intangible X-factor that flows so freely through the crags of supercar valley.
Below, then, is a selection of the very best Italy has had to offer, spanning its entire output, from unobtainable hypercars to punchy hot hatches, all of which we at evo have driven and tested extensively. Quite the high bar for the Ferrari F80, 296 Speciale and Lamborghini Temerario to clear…
- Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale review
- Ferrari 458 Speciale review
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review
- Maserati MC20 review
- Ferrari LaFerrari review
- Lamborghini Huracán STO review
- Ferrari F355 review
- Lancia Delta Integrale review
- Ferrari 812 Superfast review
- Lamborghini Revuelto review
- Pagani Zonda review
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
Priced from £1.5million
Pros – Awe-striking beauty, great to drive
Cons – So expensive, so exclusive
The latest in a long and illustrious line of Italian supercars but, being an Alfa Romeo, in a family of one. Does the 8C count? Being as lusty as a supercar doth not a supercar make. No, arguably Alfa Romeo’s only prior proper supercar was the original 33 Stradale of the 1960s, and it is to this which this new car, hewn in its image, pays tribute. Using the carbon bones and V6 engine of the Maserati MC20 as its basis, the 33 Stradale is clothed in custom carbon coachwork, with a fully bespoke cabin.
> Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale review
Here is a car that is a paradox. In distilling so richly the raw ingredients that make so many so passionate about Alfa Romeo, the Milanese marque has created a car inaccessible to most. But it is as an Alfa Romeo should be: a rolling artwork, a coachwork as stimulating to behold as it is to drive.
‘With sun-warmed air coursing through the vents artfully carved into the Stradale’s haunches (and into its headlights too), brawny turbocharged V6 soaring to its red line and low-lying nose pointed at the snow-capped horizon, the 33 feels very good to drive indeed.
‘Such cars might exist in the vaguely irrelevant stratosphere of the ultra-rich but, somehow, they make the wider automotive world a little bit richer for their existence. – James Taylor, who drove the 33 Stradale on road and track on the launch.
Alternatives to the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale number few, given its specialised remit. But other storied marques are making similar stuff, from Aston Martin with the Valour, to Bentley with the Batur. Even BMW, with the 3.0 CSL, is getting in on the game of historical callbacks built in double figures.
Ferrari 458 Speciale
Priced from £280k (May 2025)
Pros – Everything
Cons – Rarity and expense
There is perhaps no other modern-era Ferrari as exciting as the 458 Speciale. It feels like a focal point for everything the company does well – incredible engines, beautifully balanced chassis, and stunning visuals – and is undoubtedly one of the most complete performance cars evo has ever tested.
Ferrari had shown moments of genius in the run up to the Speciale – the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia that had come before were intoxicating cars in their own right. But the standard 458 was such a complete package, bolstered by sophisticated electronics and one of the best dual-clutch transmissions on the market, that applying the road-racer formula was only ever going to result in something spectacular.
There’s an argument to be made that the car that followed, the 488 Pista, goes even further up each of those paths. But it lacks one crucial element that seals the Speciale package: that car’s screaming naturally aspirated V8. With 133bhp per litre and a 9000rpm red line, it’s simply one of the great production car engines.
The Ferrari 296 Speciale represents the first time Ferrari has revisited a name for one of its track-focused models. That it chose this one either speaks to their confidence, or foolishness. There is no mightier Ferrari for it to live up to.
‘It’s on a different level because it is totally rounded and balanced in its abilities, and all those abilities are exceptional – the steering, the ride, the handling, the performance, the gearshift. It’s phenomenal, a masterpiece of a car. Peak mid-engined Ferrari without question. Maybe even peak Ferrari, full stop?’ – John Barker, evo co-founder and editor-at-large, who revisited the 458 Speciale for our evo 25 anniversary special.
Plenty of cars that came before and indeed since the 458 Speciale could best it in terms of raw times around a circuit. There are very few that we can think of, however, that can tap into the very marrow of your soul in quite the same way. Lexus LFA? Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997.2)? Ford GT? Porsche Carrera GT? These are about as far from a shot in the dark as it gets for such an endeavour.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Priced from £86,885
Pros – Awesomely fast, amazingly approachable, full of charisma
Cons – Interior not a match for its rivals’, reputation for flaky reliability
Cars like the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63 have never been more powerful, more capable or easier to use every day – yet the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio introduced in 2016 still had the measure of them in almost every way that counted, and remains right at the top of its game, even at the end of its tenure in 2025.
Even the most ardent Alfa Romeo fans would admit the company’s products have been hit and miss over the years, and the Giulia itself has had a few quality niggles from the outset, but there probably hasn’t been an Alfa quite so competitive since the 1960s. Even in standard 2-litre petrol form it drives well, floating over poor surfaces, turning into corners with agility and powering out of them with balance, but the Quadrifoglio really is special.
> Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review
Few cars with this much power (503bhp) make it feel so usable, in the dry at least (its sticky Pirellis don’t hold on quite so well on damp roads), letting you meter its output with precision. Never has that been more so the case than with the updated, 513bhp car, with its locking limited-slip differential. The ride quality is excellent, the touchpoints wonderful – short of Ferrari, nobody does gearshift paddles this well – and to most eyes it looks rather good too. Even Alfa’s Stelvio SUV, built on the same platform, is pretty damn capable…
‘From the very first drive, it was clear this was a spectacular supersaloon. All of this excellence seemingly came from nowhere too, with Alfa Romeo enlisting a crack skunkworks-like team of designers and engineers to design almost every part of the Giulia from scratch.
‘Not only is the Quadrifoglio a great execution of a supersaloon, it leaves plenty of the German establishment with bloody noses.’ – James Taylor, evo deputy editor, who ran a Giulia Quadrifoglio for six months.
The alternatives to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio used to be obvious, back when the supersaloon breed was at the top of its game. But with the fall-off of Mercedes-AMG with the C63 E-Performance and the retirement of Audi’s RS4 and RS5 (until the new RS5s arrive), the Alfa’s only true rivals come from BMW, in the M2, M3 and M4. We say the M2 because in terms of size and weight it best apes the previous-generation M3 and M4, for which the Alfa was originally conceived as a rival.
Maserati MC20
Priced from – £227,755
Pros – Superb powertrain; deftly tuned chassis; design; proper cool-factor
Cons – Brake pedal can be a bit long; that's it...
It’s quite astonishing really that Maserati produced the MC20, as excellent a car as it is, with little to no run-up. It has no predecessor, unless you count the incredibly tenuous link back to Maserati’s last mid-engined supercar, the Enzo-based MC12. Maserati doesn’t even have sports cars in its recent past, the GranTurismo always on the softer side of the grand tourer genre, sharing forecourt space with saloons and SUVs.
By rights then, the MC20 should have been a duffer, to be improved upon throughout its life, until the last run-out model maybe finally got it right, as has been the case with so many others. Not the case. It sprung out of Modena on no less than evo Car of the Year-winning form, bewitching our testers with its balance, feel, performance and personality. It cleared the win ahead of some historically stiff competition too, beating everything from the McLaren Artura and Ferrari 296 GTB, to the Audi R8 RWD Performance and Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.
Its constituent parts wouldn’t have you imagining an Alpine A110-like driving experience – a 621bhp twin-turbo V6 with a rabid bark and a hunger for revs, a carbon chassis, variable drive modes (with independent controls for the damping) – but that’s what it offers. This 203mph, slightly dumpy (somehow it weighs almost 1500kg) supercar dances and rewards like a lithe sports car.
‘It seemed so docile, and yet you knew that explosive, F40-style bursts of speed were just a downshift or two away. As Maserati’s first attempt at a supercar since the 1970s, it’s deeply impressive. Both for how it performs and – arguably more importantly – how it so clearly differentiates itself from other supercars.’ – Peter Tomalin, evo contributor and former associate editor, who tested the MC20 extensively against rivals on eCoty 2022.
Alternatives to the Maserati include the hybrid-powered McLaren Artura, though it's got a fair bit more punch these days with c700bhp. You could also have a Corvette Z06, with its 8600rpm V8, though it's considerably less premium and exotic in feel than the Maserati.
Ferrari LaFerrari
Priced from £3million (May 2025)
Pros – Scintillating V12, astonishing capability and control
Cons – If you weren’t selected when new, the price tripled
Perhaps the greatest irony of the ‘holy trinity’ era is that, for all the top trumping and comparing of the three cars in question by those who didn’t have a hope of making one their own, people actually in the market for cars like the LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 usually just had one of each.
But now as then, one did seem to stand out from the other two, combined the most emotive powertrain with astonishing performance, real drivability and exploitability, unrivalled heritage and, as we’ve come to note over the last decade, unbeatable residuals… Yes, the LaFerrari is the only of the three to have tripled in price since its introduction. Why is that? There’s no arguing with the kudos of an all-out Ferrari flagship, though the controversial F80 may yet prove that statement wrong.
The LaFerrari, however, for all its hybrid tech and in-house, Pininfarina-shunning design, is about as ‘Ferrari’ as Ferraris get. That V12, a powertrain offering over 900bhp in total, a carbon tub, absolutely jaw-dropping presence and, utterly unexpectedly, an approachability and drivability that renders it putty in your hands. Whisper it, but Ferrari flagships before the LaFerrari had their flaws.
The Enzo was a numb steer and had a slightly shonky gearbox. The F50 was harsh and without the blistering performance of its direct rivals, and the F40 was a little rough around the edges – literally, just look at the glue. The driving position was very ‘of its time’ too. Though we love all these cars despite their flaws, the LaFerrari is distinct from them for essentially being without any. Owners who have had to deal with the battery niggles might say otherwise, mind.
‘That this virtuous hybrid technology has been hijacked to create an even faster, even more exciting breed of supercar is the ultimate switcheroo. The LaFerrari is a great car. More importantly it’s a great Ferrari, perhaps even the greatest.’ – Richard Meaden, evo co-founder and editor-at-large, who drove the LaFerrari both on the launch and in a comparison test with the Enzo.
Alternatives to the LaFerrari? Beyond the obvious Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1, the Pagani Huayra BC is a mightily impressive thing. Likewise the Koenigsegg Agera RS. From a financial perspective, Apple stock bought in 1999 would run it close.
Lamborghini Huracán STO
Priced from £240k (May 2025)
Pros – Enthralling powertrain; the Huracán potential fully realised
Cons – Quite hardcore in ‘normal’ driving
Quite in opposite fashion to the Maserati MC20 also included elsewhere in this roundup of Italian greats, the Huracán took its time to come on song. On release, the original was numb, understeery and not the riposte Lamborghini needed to the excellent Ferrari 458 and McLaren 650S, even with that scintillating 5.2-litre V10. The first sign of life was the ‘RWD’ variant, then the Performante really proved what the Huracán was capable of. Then the Evo took it to the next level, further improved by the Evo RWD. And then came the STO. Once you learn the meaning of that acronym – Super Trofeo Omologato – and just look at the thing, you realise just how serious Lamborghini took its Huracán send-off.
> Lamborghini Huracán STO review
But to dismiss the STO as a racetrack refugee unsuited to road duties would be presumptuous. For the suspension has more ability to breathe with the road than you’d ever imagine for a car that looks like it just escaped the pitlane for the Daytona 24 Hours. Likewise, its direction control on a writhing, inconsistent road is good. Save for the road noise and the slightly torturous bucket seats, it’s perfectly amenable and actually a joy to exploit on the road. Truly great hardcore cars don’t feel caged and muzzled when confined to the public road and that’s exactly what the STO manages, to an eCoty podium-sitting standard. What a crescendo for Lamborghini’s sophomore junior supercar, even if the Technica was the actual last Huracán.
‘Everyone stepped out of the STO with a grin and a tale to tell. Its engine is all-encompassing, the shifts of the dual-clutch ’box so precise, and you can enjoy it on almost every road.’ – Stuart Gallagher, evo editor-in-chief, who tested the STO during 2021’s evo Car of the Year test against the very best driver’s cars of that year.
Alternatives to the Huracán STO are easier to compile now it’s been confined to the history books. It’s the most intense version of any Lamborghini junior supercar to date, so the most intense of any Ferrari junior supercar to date, the 458 Speciale, seems an apt comparison. As does a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, or McLaren 765LT.
Ferrari F355
Priced from £100k (manual, May 2025)
Pros – Those looks, that engine
Cons – Steering a little unresponsive
It might have looked superficially similar to the Ferrari 348 on the outside, but the F355 that debuted in 1994 was quite different under the skin. It turned the pretty but often derided 348 into one of the best sports cars of the 1990s in one fell swoop.
The F355 received a facelift inside and out, with a higher-quality cabin and curvier, more ’90s-friendly lines externally, but the most significant changes were in the engine bay and the chassis. The former received a displacement increase and a new five-valve head, while the latter received active dampers and improved underbody aero.
In concert, it resulted in a more powerful engine (while the open-gate manual gearshift was improved to be a little more usable when cold and a little more positive the rest of the time), but also a taming of some of the 348’s on-limit handling characteristics. To this day, the 355’s low-slung lines and buttressed engine cover still look rather fine, too.
‘The F355 bridges the gap between old Ferrari and new; between quaint, classic, small V8s and the last two decades of 200mph supercars. It’s the last hand-built Ferrari, but also the first to really embrace modern technology. I still live in hope that, one day, just one of the 11,173 built will have my name on the V5, and this drive has predictably only served to galvanise that ambition. If you share the same dream, I promise you won’t be disappointed.’ – Adam Towler, evo contributor and former deputy editor, who tested the Ferrari F355 on the road in the UK.
Alternatives to the Ferrari F355 aren’t numerous. Lamborghini had yet to join this junior supercar class in the 1990s. Still, you could have an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage or a Porsche 993 Carrera RS – a quintessentially ’90s GT and sports car respectively – to match the 355 as the ’90s supercar.
Lancia Delta Integrale
Priced from £25k (May 2025)
Pros – Heroic heritage and looks with a drive that lives up to them
Cons – Van-like driving position, takes some learning to get the best from it
No Abarth, nor any Fiat or Alfa Romeo, can top the Lancia Delta Integrale as a relatively ‘normal’ entry so indelibly etched in Italian performance car lore, alongside exotica ad infinitum. This humble hot hatchback was the stuff of bedroom-wall posters in the 1990s, alongside Lamborghini Diablos and Ferrari F40s. No doubt it owes much of its acclaim to its place as a hero of Group A rallying history, wearing the almost inimitably memorable Martini livery from which Lancia’s motorsport history is so inseparable.
> Lancia Delta Integrale review
But the joy of the Delta Integrale is that it’s a hero you definitely want to meet. Get past the shall-we-say quaint driving position, warm through that effervescent, warbling four-cylinder turbocharged engine, learn to work the chassis and that AWD system and you have a gem on your hands.
'At first I find it a little unnerving given the slippery, muddy asphalt underneath us, a small spike of adrenaline that car and driver are about to get familiar with the scenery head-on.
‘But once you’ve learnt that it’s simply how the Lancia goes about its work, and that traction is superb from there on in, the confidence begins to build, and using the brakes more on entry seems to help, too.’ – Adam Towler, evo contributor and former deputy editor, who tested the Delta Integrale on the road in the UK against its old Group A rivals.
The Lancia’s best alternatives are also forged in the fires of the WRC. Mitsubishi Evo, Subaru Impreza Turbo, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Toyota Celica GT-Four, were all once everyman performance heroes that, like the Lancia, are now worth a pretty penny and highly coveted by their cult-like fans.
Ferrari 812 Superfast
Prices from £200k (May 2025)
Pros – Incredible engine, blistering performance
Cons – Intense for a GT
Like the 458 Speciale, the Superfast has a super-broad range of talents that would make it a wonderful car even with a distinctly average engine under its long bonnet, but it is elevated to new heights by its actual powerplant, a 6.5-litre, 789bhp, naturally aspirated V12.
That engine is a work of art – whether you use it to power a car, sing a symphony or just bolt it to a plinth and stare at it. Derived from the engine first introduced in the Enzo, it’s a perfect example of why it’s difficult to see electric motors ever matching combustion power for emotive value; all the two-point-something 0-60s in the world count for nought against the thrill of extending the 812 to its 8500rpm power peak.
> Ferrari 812 Superfast review
The 812’s styling is an acquired taste even though the car is undoubtedly a dramatic thing to behold. The cabin, and the way the V12 settles down at a cruise, make the Superfast a genuine grand tourer too. Its ability to cover distance in comfort and then wow you with its abilities at your destination, it’s a mighty combination – one its softer-edged successor, the 12 Cilindri, has struggled to live up to.
‘In an era increasingly defined by race-car levels of downforce and an obsession with lap times, cutting loose in the 812 Superfast is a celebration of excess and a lesson in good old-fashioned car control. It’s a monster, but my god it’s a magnificent one.’ – Richard Meaden, evo co-founder and editor-at-large, who tested the 812 Superfast on track around Anglesey circuit.
As a big V12 GT, the 812 Superfast was a rare thing when new, let alone now. Still, Aston Martin always had a response in the DBS, which was at its best in 770 Ultimate form, a worthy alternative to the 812. More drama and less polish can be had if you look to Lamborghini, for an Aventador S or Ultimae.
Lamborghini Revuelto
Priced from £454,830
Pros – Predictable, agile chassis; stunning engine; more polished than the Aventador
Cons – Expensive; it’s sold out (for now)
Not in the history of flagship Lamborghini V12s has there been one without its flaws. All have been utterly overflowing with character and energy but all have, conversely, been compromised in some way, to varying degrees. From the fire-prone Miura, whose nose would go light at speed when low on fuel, to the Aventador with its jerky gearbox and somewhat leaden feel.
The Revuelto, though, combines the outlandish looks and incredible V12 engine that are flagship Lambo staples with crazy hybrid powertrain tech, rear-steering and adaptive drive mode systems to create a boss Bull without compromise. It adds agility and exploitability to the long-standing Lambo toolkit of drama, flamboyance and, in this case, far more performance than ever before – over 1000bhp, since you’re asking. You don’t even need to wake your neighbours anymore, thanks to its useful (if limited) electric-only range.
‘That Lamborghini has remained committed to the full-fat V12 is the key to the Revuelto’s might and majesty. Such defiance in the face of widespread downsizing confers the Revuelto with a massive advantage over cars like the Ferrari SF90, because it stays true to the notion that supercars are in the business of shock and awe. The great irony in all this is that it’s the hybrid elements of the powertrain that allow you to enjoy and explore the V12 as never before.’ – Richard Meaden, evo co-founder and editor-at-large, who tested the Revuelto on the road in Italy and on track in the UK.
Alternatives to the Lamborghini Revuelto are few, given it’s the only mid-engined V12 supercar on sale today for less than £1million. If you have that kind of cash (or double that) then a Pagani Utopia or GMA T.50 respectively offer turbocharged or high-revving dozen-cylinder experiences. Closer to the Revuelto’s price range is the Aston Martin Valhalla that will soon wade into battle as a fellow production hybrid hypercar. A Ferrari SF90 XX is worthy of comparison too.
Pagani Zonda
Priced from c3million (May 2025)
Pros – Astonishing design, inexplicably approachable dynamics, intoxicating V12
Cons – Once a £300k car, now £3million+
What defines a supercar? High performance has to be a factor, as does truly eye-catching styling. It should ideally be both capable and thrilling to drive in equal measure, have a degree of exclusivity, and feel crafted by people who care about every single detail – because when you’re spending supercar money you expect a genuinely super car.
The Pagani Zonda could be used to represent the supercar in a dictionary. Even the earliest C12, more than 20 years old now and developing by today’s standards a modest 395bhp from its Mercedes-sourced V12, fits the bill, but styling got progressively wilder and the V12s more powerful as the years went on.
It was no mere styling exercise either – Zondas have always been great to drive, and with fewer than 200 examples produced to date, it’s certainly exclusive. And crafted by people who care about every single detail? You’ll find few in this industry more passionate about their product than company founder Horacio Pagani.
‘The passage of two decades can be cruel to once cutting-edge supercars, but the naturally aspirated Zonda, complete with six-speed stick-shift gearbox, feels timeless and epic. It moves with elasticity, that big, free-spinning Benz V12 simmering with seismic potency. It is majestic, as only large-capacity 12-cylinder motors can be.
‘Early Zondas were road cars first and foremost and it shows in the way they drive. Ferociously fast when fully lit but relaxed and refined when you’re savouring the moment, they exude the kind of maturity and confidence that makes today’s hypercars seem laughably overwrought. Once driven, never forgotten.’ – Richard Meaden, evo co-founder and editor-at-large, who has tested numerous Pagani Zondas on road and track over evo’s 25-plus-year history.
When new the Zonda faced stiff competition in a bustling hypercar segment against legacy brands like Ferrari with the Enzo, Lamborghini with the Murciélago and Porsche with the Carrera GT. It also had fellow newcomers Koenigsegg with the CC8S and CCR with which to compete, as well as the titanic Bugatti Veyron and thunderous McLaren-Mercedes SLR. Today, Zonda’s outvalue all but the Enzo with ease, which speaks volumes of its allure.
