Our Evo VII RS Sprint is the one and only, on loan from the guys who make it, now called Xtreme Autos after their licence to use the Ralliart name expired. They rang to ask if they could lend it to Top Gear magazine. As we had nicked Autocar's stock long-term Evo VII for our CoTY feature and driven it to Italy and back, it seemed churlish to refuse.

The RS had already bust the 5000-mile mark so Ralliart, sorry, Xtreme, offered to service it (normal charge ΂£170) and give it a once over. That's when they decided to fit new rubber. The original Yokos weren't worn out but, we were informed, there wasn't much life left in them. They would probably have got to 7500 miles, but that's not much consolation ΂- we haven't had them anywhere near a track yet. That's a potential ΂£650 to fork out every four-six months just for road use. It further reinforces my belief that the RS Sprint is a car for special missions. To use it daily is like commuting from London to Glasgow in the Space Shuttle.