And so to the elephant in the room. If you’re bothered that Ferrari FF running costs are going to stretch your budget somewhat, we’d suggest you look elsewhere. This car costs several hundred thousands of pounds, and many more thousands per year to run.

Expect top-whack insurance premiums and fuel economy realistically around 12mpg over longer journeys; it’s a claimed 18mpg according to Ferrari, but in laboratory conditions. You do get a 91-litre fuel tank, though, so at least its range is long enough not to become irksome.

Is anyone really going to worry about Ferrari FF emissions? We suspect not really, since the sort of people who buy cars like this can pay cash to offset any CO2 they burn using the V12 installed under the bonnet. It’s simply not a consideration for such people, but actually, it is for Ferrari.

As the EU tightens sanctions on the higher-emitting vehicles, cars like this have understandably come under close scrutiny. In this case Ferrari fights back with a vast 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, thanks in part to the clever engine and in part to the HELE (High Emotion, Low Emission) optional extra which adds stop/start to the FF.

The headline figure is 360g/km, which is 3.5 times as much as a Ford Focus, but everything is relative. This is actually quite efficient for a V12 petrol-powered supercar with no efficient turbocharging system to speak of.

The FF has been designed to be a car you can live with, and Ferrari has improved the quality of its cars and their reliability in recent years with good results.

This is enhanced by a free, seven year maintenance for buyers of a new Ferrari FF, with the work carried out at franchised Ferrari dealerships.