Key to the SLR’s excellent safety standards is its fantastically strong carbon-fibre chassis. It’s four times stiffer and stronger than a typical Mercedes saloon and with its integral crumple zones has been engineered to bear the brunt of even the severest of high-speed collisions. The SLR is also fitted with four airbags as standard and a stability and traction control system that keeps an eye on all that power.

There’s even a pop-up rear wing that’s activated during high-speed braking manoeuvres to enhance stability and control.

As extravagant automotive works of look-at-me art, supercars don’t tend to place a great deal of emphasis on practicality, but the SLR is better than most. With a centre console glovebox and a second storage area between the seats, there’s enough storage space in the cabin for mobile phones, sunglasses and wallets while the 272-litre boot can easily swallow enough soft bags for a weekend away.

That long nose and limited rear visibility makes low-speed manoeuvring a bit tricky, and the low-profile tyres means it’s all too easy to scrape one of those incredibly expensive propeller-like alloys.