16.03.2004 THE RUSSIAN AND NORTH EUROPEAN TOUR KEEPS HEADING NORTHWARDS THROUGH THE SNOWS OF FINLAND

To mark the Ferrari Maserati Group's imminent entry to the Russian market, two Ferraris and two Maseratis left the Maserati headquarters in Modena at the start of the 'Russian & North European Tour' which is seeing them cover over 10,000 kilometres in difficult winter conditions across Northern Europe.

Day 9 - Vaasa, Finland, 13th March - We leave Oulu at 9:00. In this part of the world we are an hour ahead of Italy. We wake to find the city blanketed in slow and the temperature is -2°C. After a little filming, we are on our way to Vaasa by 10:00. Today’s journey should be around 320 km.

We pass through a few villages and at Raahe discover a historical centre of particular interest. Time dictates that we press on as we want to arrive at our final destination quite early and so we decide to leave immediately.

We stop for lunch in a restaurant tucked away in a tiny village. We do not see the wealth that we did in Sweden in this unassuming place. This little place is also favoured by the countryfolk from the region and the organisation of the food is the same, self-service with a tray and cutlery. This said, there is the very civilised habit of having a stall offering a wide range of vegetables and coffee. In every Swedish and Finnish establishment we have visited, everything that is found on the stall is offered free of charge.

While we tuck into a pork chop and the obligatory potatoes, we observe with amazement that word of mouth, and even some hasty telephone calls, have resulted in a group of people surrounding the vehicles. It seems that we are the main event today. We have also seen people attracted to the cars in other places we have visited. A Ferrari is observed with a certain curiosity by those who have never seen such an extreme car. Maserati vehicles, on the other hand, are looked at with an eye to a possible purchase.

The journey proceeds uneventfully in sunshine and with temperatures of 0 ºC. Unfortunately the countryside is not particularly inspiring and the snow-covered roads only add to the monotony of the trip. The strange thing in these frozen parts is that it is not unusual to see people walking around seemingly without a destination in mind.

We reach the city of Vaasa at around 17:30. The temperature is 2°C. We search in vain for some point of interest but, apart from a bridge, the city is featureless.

Tomorrow the trip to Helsinki awaits. After having checked and cleaned the cars we make for the hotel at about 20:00.

Day 10, Helsinki, Finland, 14th March - We are ready to leave Vaasa by 8:00. It does not feel too cold but the roads are frozen over and although it had been decided that we would make for Helsinki via Tampere directly, the reporters opt to take the sea route through Rauma and Turku, the old capital of Finland. Though the temperature is around 0°C, once out in the open air it feels much lower.

The Quattroporte has to stay a little longer in Vaasa to change a windscreen cracked by a stone when overtaking a few days earlier. With the sharp rises and falls in temperature it could potentially prove dangerous. The Quattroporte will catch up when the job is done.

The rest of the party takes the road to Rauma, the best-preserved wooden village still standing in Finland. The heavy falling snow makes the drive a demanding one. Fortunately, once we reach Pori the snow eases a little and, even though the roads are iced over, we reach Rauma at 12:30. The little town really is charming with its wooden houses all painted in pastel colours. The only drawback is the overcast skies.

Lunch is taken in an Ital-Mexican-Finn restaurant and at 14:30, after refuelling, we strike out for Naantali, a tourist marina close to Turku. The sky is still grey and broody when we arrive and it is a chilly -2°C. The bitter westerly breeze makes the temperature seem much lower.

The setting is breathtaking. The sea is iced over and with the cafes, restaurants and cottages huddling around the bay; the mood is one of reflection. The townsfolk walk on water, albeit frozen. One lady laden with shopping heads across the marina using the buoys as markers.

At 17:00, with the filming wrapped up for the day, we start the last leg to Helsinki. After 165km we arrive in the Finnish capital. Gentle snowflakes greet us as we settle into our hotel. Outside, it is 0°C once more.