Here’s the thing. I’m driving the new Porsche 911 and I know it’s terrific. I can see it’s going to be one of those cars that becomes the default choice in its class. But there’s still a little doubt in the back of my mind. 

I know it’s an unreasonable one. Because – as when somebody says they want a small hot hatch and without hesitating I recommend a Ford Fiesta ST – when people ask what sports car is special but usable every day, the stock answer will remain ‘buy a 911’. 

The new 911 is polished to a brilliant degree, honed like never before to the extent that, possibly, there’s less inherent 911 quirkiness to it than ever. The engine has been pushed forwards by 14mm and the front track is much wider so there’s less inherent 911 nose-bobbing. Though that’s not what’s bothering me; push a 911 and the physics are still the physics.

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It takes me almost another week to work out what’s sitting on my shoulder, reminding me why I didn’t utterly fall for the new Carrera S despite being exceptionally impressed by it. 

I don’t mind that it’s less exciting than some rivals – like a Mercedes-AMG GT or Aston Martin Vantage – for the very good reason that it is a more polished, rounded proposition than those. 

And then, mid-What Car? Awards, oddly enough, I realised: that little nagging doubt was the mere existence of the Alpine A110

I know, they’re not really rivals. But I’ve had colleagues who have said the Alpine A110 is the car they’ve been waiting their entire careers for. It’s a car that takes the things that were great about the original 911 and distils them into a modern package, which is more compact than a modern 911, less powerful than a modern 911 and less grippy than a modern 911, so has more approachable limits. And at a stroke has made a 911 feel more like a Mercedes SL than it does a small sports coupé.