Alfa Romeo GTV V6

I often hear people say a car’s character comes from its foibles. That’s bobbins. For a new car at least, character comes from the things it does well. A rich soundtrack, good steering feel, exciting power delivery and sweet chassis balance can all cultivate character, whereas poor reliability, a wonky seating position or a clunky gearshift – foibles, if you like – simply make that car worse and, I would argue, less characterful.

But something strange happens with the passing of time. As a car gets older, we stop thinking about it in the very harsh context of its immediate rivals and judge it instead on its own merit. Accordingly, its weaknesses don’t bother us so much any more.

The same goes for athletes. Today, we think of Boris Becker as a great tennis player, but when he was playing, he was known for being not quite as good as Pete Sampras. So as a car gets older, you enjoy it for the things it does well and turn a blind eye to the things it doesn’t do so well. That’s why I could see myself buying a £3000 Alfa Romeo GTV V6 one day. The seating position is rubbish and it doesn’t really handle, but I would still enjoy it because it’s a rare sight, it looks achingly pretty (to my eyes) and it has a wonderful V6 engine.

I’ll never agree that foibles give a car character. That’s far too generous. But I do think that as a car gets older, its foibles no longer smother whatever character that particular car has.