When an Aston Martin press release starts out speaking of “explosive power in a black tie ... with a unique character”, it’s not immediately clear whether it’s referring to a new car or to Ulrich Bez, the company’s rocket-propelled chief executive. Bez would make a very good arch-villain in a Bond movie. Tall, lean, depressingly fit and with a penchant for immaculately crafted casual clothes, he is smooth operator and action man rolled into one.

In fact, the release is talking about the long-awaited DBS, first driven by Aston-loving secret agent James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, in Casino Royale and finally being delivered to customers early next year. It has been a long time coming but these lucky people are likely to regard their money – about £160,000 in the UK dependent on optional extras – as mostly well spent. There are a few niggles related to ride and handling, and I flatly refuse to call the starter key by Aston’s chosen name, the “emotional control unit” (the wretched thing flashes up words such as “beauty”, “soul” and “power”). But in almost every other respect, the DBS is, as Bond might say, a car to die for.