The Brera, says Alfa Romeo, was intended for cruising on straight continental roads, not British bendy ones. Earlier they announced something tougher and sportier for our more demanding roads. This was the Brera S, developed by British racing engineers Prodrive, who run the Aston Martin team.

James Martin, better known as a chef, test drove the new mean machine:

I was really excited to get my hands on one of these, as they’re only building 500. But do you know what? I think it’s gone too far in the other direction. … What Prodrive have done, rather than beef up the engine, is to lower the centre of gravity, reduce the weight by 100kg and fit specially commissioned Eibach coil springs and Bilstein dampers to reduce roll and pitch and enhance cornering. They say this new set-up gives it a ‘more nimble and agile feel, with increased driver feedback’. You can say that again. … [It] is like trying to win a Grand Prix in an earthquake: it’s just bounce, clang, bounce, always on the verge of wheelspin and a literal pain in the backside.

It only goes to show, you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Specification

£28,450 at alfaromeo.co.uk
Engine 3.2-litre direct-injection V6
Power 260bhp
Peak torque 322Nm at 4,500rpm
Top speed 155mph
Transmission Six-speed manual

Standard features 19in alloy wheels with Pirelli PZero Nero tyres, Prodrive, engineering dampers and springs, revised exhaust silencer, ABS, ASR, EBD, hill-hold, dual-zone air conditioning, Italian Frau leather upholstery with red stitching, aluminium sports pedals, six-speaker CD/radio, rear-parking sensor, cruise control, folding heated wing mirrors.

Aston Martin are now one of the most desirable marques in the world but it took a great deal of trial and angst before they achieved real success. Competition was always their Achille’s heel and in the 1930s they raced cars more than they built them, suffering any number of financial collapses and buy-outs as a result. Yet all through these troubled years they produced cars that are a delight to the eye, machines that one could hunger for even today. Let me show you what I mean.

Take the MG TF of the thirties, for instance, a car that anyone into automotive history will know and love. It’s a pretty little thing, there’s no denying it:

But, if you think that is the height of British sports car building, then you’ve never seen the Aston Martin Le Mans of the same period. Admittedly, it was intended for racing and was bound to be a bit more extreme than the MG, but many were kept for road use. Look at this beautiful example, for instance:

Notice how the bicycle mudguards give the car a serious air, proclaiming its competition ancestry. And the body of the car is so well put together, giving a look of strength and durability that the MG lacks. One can imagine the MG as a car for fun, ideal for a quick blast down some country back roads, but the Aston is for serious motoring, a car that, in its day, could take on any sports car on the road.

They are both cars from a long time before my day but I can appreciate them as dream machines of the pre-war years. And, if I were given the choice between them, there are no prizes for guessing which I’d take!