As we weave our way along the border to Switzerland, I reflect on how many of the participants echo Tony’s words and talk about how powerful and smooth the car is to drive, "a bit like a railway train" – something that W.O, a locomotive engineer by training, would have liked to hear according to Tim Houlding. "He wanted to make a saloon car that ran like a train. His aim was to produce a car that was very different from the sportier ride that is the Blower or the Speed Six.”

After a delicious lunch at Chateau de Pleujouse, we climb up in the rain and fog to find Le Grand Hotel des Rasses – perched at the top of a mountain side overlooking Lake Neuchatel.

We lament the fact we can’t see a thing, but the weather is about to turn…