Why was everybody staring at my Aston Rapide over the weekend? Was it because I left the headlights on full beam (again) – the blue warning light so well hidden behind the steering wheel?

Or was it because I had exploded another unfortunate pheasant? There are so many ponderous and enormous birds around these parts it’s like Death Race 2000 out there at the present.

It could be the rasp from the V12 engine, which doesn’t need acoustic tweakery to make knees wobble when you blip the accelerator.

No, I think quite simply, this is the most beautiful four-door saloon that you will ever see. Granted, it’s a bit tight in the back but there just isn’t a finer four-seater on the planet.