£1.2k Scenic, £1.2m Veyron

£13,750

Yes, that price does look a little strong but this is the limited-edition S version of Alfa’s gorgeous coupé, so we’ll make allowances. Our example is the 3.2 V6 petrol model but there was another based around the 2.2 four-pot.

The S was created in 2008 in response to criticisms of the Brera’s woolly handling. Prodrive’s engineers were put on the case and wasted no time applying chassis tweaks. They lowered the car 10mm, tickled the steering, gave it 50% stiffer Eibach springs and a set of Bilstein dampers and swapped the standard brakes for more powerful Brembos. Then they raided the parts bin for sexier, arch-filling 19in alloy wheels laced up with Pirelli P Zeros.

Our tester was impressed, finding the S’s steering sharper and better weighted and body roll much reduced. The trade-off, however, was a firmer and noisier ride, and because the engine was unchanged, performance felt below par. The Brembo brakes also faded quickly, at least after a few track sessions…

But back to our example. It’s a 2009/59-reg V6 with 58,000 miles and full service history. It has new front wishbones, discs and pads. The wishbones are a common replacement but at around 70,000 miles. Check the state of the rear tyres since premature wear can be caused by failing rear lower hub bushes. The big news with the 3.2 lump is that the chains, all three of them, need changing at 100,000 miles. That’s still some way off, but listen carefully for a diesel-like noise suggesting the tensioners are easing up. Finally, check the rear subframe for rust and ensure the rear windows work (they may need to be reset).