When we tested the Audi Q5 recently, it took five days before I found the right buttons to turn a good SUV into a great one. The 3.0 TDI was transformed in sport mode – a totally different beast to the car that I had become used to.

And you could say the same about the F-Type. It’s only when you switch to ‘dynamic’ mode, activate the acoustic exhaust button and, preferably, drop the hood, that the Jaguar awakes from a grand tourer into a rasping sports car.

I’m not sure I’ve had as much fun in a performance car since I first went sideways in a Caterham 7. There’s no need to push it hard either, the F-Type returns mile after mile of thrills in every situation.

Red is my least favourite colour for a car but I could even overlook the paintwork to have one parked in my garage permanently. And I haven’t even driven the coupe version yet, which is no doubt going to be even better. At last, some serious competition for the Porsche 911…