Mr. Wei, a jovial man, knows something about the environmental destruction coal mining can inflict on the land. He himself is in the coal-mining business in northern China.

The service, and the straight-talking Mr Bertolaso, a doctor who once managed hospitals in conflict zones, seemed to embody the best of Italy.

In fact, Mr Gales, a fast-talking Luxembourgeois, is not planning to shift more than 17,000 of the sleek RCZ coupes a year.