Owned Ducati's, Aprillia (x2) and Maserati's, yes we all lust after the beautiful 3500's but would I want to drive one when in a long drive to a very important meeting and expect to get there without breaking down, hmm I welcome the new technology and advances.
The heritage is still there, just evolved into hopefully more reliable, desirable cars.
As for diesels, they serve a very important purpose by allowing people to drive the brand more economically, can't be a bad thing
BTW oh how envious I am of you Dave owning a Jota, big mean engines that sounded gorgeous, always envious, trust it was in orange rather than the silver, would love one if I knew they could handle and brake around corners!
Just to edit, I own bright green and bright blue trousers, would own a pair of bright red if my outfitters had a pair in stock