Setting off after a short lay-off now goes like this. Twist the key. Engine explodes into immediate life, as does a huge cloud of smoke behind the car. Wait a while for said cloud to dissipate, select reverse, grit teeth and feed in the clutch. A few more revs, and a few more and then just as I'm wondering if there's a log behind one of the wheels, with a crunch and a jolt we're on the move. Cover the first few miles fairly gingerly while the brakes go from hopeless, through OK-ish, before finally functioning as Porsche intended.

The rest of the drive is, as ever, sheer bliss. My local dealer, Carrs of Exeter, has said the brake problem is well-known, but unfortunately with no known cure, and assures me the same applies to the cloud of smoke issue. Carrs went into great detail as to why it happens but, given that I've got slightly less interest in the oily bits than, say, John Prescott's love life, I stopped listening once I'd heard the phrase: 'It's nothing to worry about sir.'

So in the main, the S remains sublime but can, just occasionally, behave like a real old nail, which jars somewhat with the overall owning experience.