Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, they’re the stuff dreams are made of, the ultimate expression of man’s ability to make the inanimate lovable, unlike anything else.

While girls grow up ogling posters of Johnny Depp and David Beckham, boys wonder what they have to do to one day have the keys to a DB9, Gallardo or F430, other than claiming it on expenses or winning the Euro Millions lottery.

But how far would you go legitimately, and legally, for the car of your dreams?

I love cars more than I can express; the noise, the speed and the unparalleled feeling of freedom. I would happily live with the bare necessities to survive: a bed, food and water, to have my (realistically) dream car sitting outside my flat, or tent, depending on how the running costs are going.

A friend recently told me that his 135 mph car “just isn’t fast enough” and that he needs more speed, in the form of a Mazda RX8. The RX8, though relatively cheap to buy (£6500 or thereabouts will get you one with good spec), is notorious for being expensive to run. Its rotary engine will rev joyfully to around 9000 rpm but all of the 230bhp is at the top end, making it a petrol addict. And then there’s the issues of tax, insurance and the boring stuff.

The rationalists among us say will that you can “only do 70 so what’s the point”, others will point to the expense, but they just don’t understand. Petrol heads are a different breed. Cars aren’t just about getting from A to B - they’re about getting from A to B in the quickest, most pleasing and stylish way possible, and then conquering the rest of the alphabet.

With the pains of expense come the joys of the open road - do with it what you will.