IN THIS FEATURE Attention grabber Superb sat-nav Travelling al fresco

It's astonishing how much attention this car gets. My upstairs neighbour, who has got used to finding eccentric cars parked outside her house, almost wet herself when the Brabus arrived and she continues to check on its progress. I've also got used to small children pointing excitedly at me on the motorway, and wandering back to a car park to find noses pressed to its windows. It's enough to make a chap feel self-conscious and I've started to worry about my appearance every time I go out.

"It's enough to make a chap feel self-conscious"

Smart has spent a fortune marketing this car and most people have a sense of what it is, even if this is the first time that they've seen one in the plastic. Oiks tend to concentrate their questioning on the power (101bhp) and the top speed (121mph). Everyone else is interested in how much it costs. Few actually seem to believe that such a tiny plastic fantastic could cost the best part of £18,000.