I overtook one of these Ferrari 456GTs the other day in my 12 year old Turbo-charged Volvo 760 Estate. And don't think he wasn't trying, because he was as desperate to get to the other end of the traffic-choked M3 as I was, but he just picked the lane that was doing 7 mph, while I, with the benefit of years of experience, picked the one doing 8 mph, and I left him for dead. It made me wonder, though, whether a car like that had any real advantage over a car like mine, so I took the opportunity to look over the 456 GT that was here at Baynards at the time, and I was agreeably surprised.

The first agreeable surprise was that Mr Ferrari decided this time not to force the occupants of the car to share the space with its huge engine, so this one has its engine under the bonnet (or hood, if you prefer), leaving the boot (or trunk) available for a 10 disc CD changer and quite a lot else you may care to carry. Importantly, there is also space for two rear seat passengers. The 456GT's appearance is tame enough to satisfy your wife that this is a serious motor car, and not an executive boy's toy, but this apparent respectability conceals some awesome capabilities.

The suspension can be altered by the driver, and is "active", so the damping is electronically controlled. In sport mode, it'll handle a 0.87g turn which would cause any ordinary car either to slide off the corner or roll. It also has traction control. Significantly, when these developments were fitted to F1 Grand Prix cars, the FIA outlawed them for making the cars too easy to drive.

At a price tag of over £160000 new, and with these gorgeous interior appointments, no-one is likely to spoil a Ferrari 456GT by using it for racing or rallying purposes, so its maximum performance, which is, of course, rivetting, is largely academic. What you can rely on is high-speed cruising without fuss, country road manoeuverability that dreams are made of, and drop-dead wonderful looks. This is a luxurious, powerful sports car for the owner who wants to be comfortable while he poses in this pinnacle of motor engineering and Pininfarina design. You can hardly hear the huge engine, which is lucky, if you're going to make use of the in-car entertainment. The driver view is very good and uncluttered compared with other sports cars of its type. Oh, and you will be noticed, even by Volvo drivers who waft past you at 1 mph in the slow lane.