Olly Bloxham (a man who is at least partially to blame for this project’s existence!) kindly offered to take me to collect the car today. This is a little earlier than planned, mainly due to my wife’s 106 Rallye twanging its clutch cable yesterday morning, which hastened our need for an additional vehicle!

I was a little disappointed to find that the car came with no paperwork beyond its stamped service book and an MOT certificate – when I consider the beautiful folder I handed on with the M3 when I sold it. Anyway, the car looked smart and even among the impressive company within Saffron’s showroom, had significant presence.

Outside we took a quick photo of the 800hp convoy before heading home.

The 30 mile journey back was generally slow – I used the time to get used to the excellent cabin, set up the OBC, seat position etc. Apparently I managed 32mpg – despite thoroughly checking that the uber saloon’s sideways mode was functioning as expected!

The car felt fast today, and it feels straight, composed, quiet, and ultimately incredible given its mileage. It’s been looked after – I hope I can keep it that way.