About three years ago I almost bought a diesel SLK. I say almost – I paid the deposit only for the dealer to sell the car from under my nose and then offer me a more expensive one.

To say I was pissed off is an understatement. I swore I’d never drive a Merc again. Well, unless it was a W123 or a Gullwing. Then obviously I would swallow my pride, who wouldn’t.

As 2016 peters out, I find myself being the wheel of a rather pretty SLC – a folding hard-top convertible. Whether it’s, ahem, a mid-term facelift for the third generation SLK or not, the SLC is almost as cute as the second generation model (in my opinion, the best ever version).

They’ve dumped that pig ugly nose that messed up the 2011 model and given it a more steeply raked grille and prettier lights all round.

You can open and close the roof at speeds of up to 25mph and the interior is very classy indeed.

I know it’s not going to be as dynamic to drive as a Porsche Boxster, or a possibly the Audi TT either, but as November beckons, I’m rather looking forward to experiencing the thrills of a 362bhp V6 twin-turbo.

Surprising as I know I’m going to miss the old, normally aspirated V8…