The best piece of advice I was ever given about driving a high performance sports car was never press my foot on the accelerate – just squeeze the toes.

I was driving a Maserati on the Ferrari proving track in Italy. At the wheel was an  elegant woman racing driver who steered the 3200 with a passion normally reserved for the bed chamber.

A memorable moment for many reasons but I digress. If ever a car demanded elegant squeezing of the toes it was the GT-R. Today I drove to the supermarket in Chipping Norton and tweaked the accelerator on a mini roundabout.

Well, you can imagine the consequences. Fortunately, the traction control and four-wheel drive sorted the problem out in an instant. But be warned, 550bhp on a wet day in a car like the Nissan demands the driving skills of a scintillating Italian racing diva…