IMAGINE A 5.9-litre, V-12, 48-valve engine promising 435 brake horsepower via a five-speed automatic, gearbox and a top speed of 265 km/h. And at a price just three times the value of my flat.
The thought would be of little consequence to Johnny English, Her Majesty's Secret Service's most inept agent in the film of the same name. Or the Aston-owning Rowan Atkinson, who portrays the bumbling spy. But when an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupe was delivered to my door, for my eyes only, I could not help thinking a spin around the New Territories was a licence to thrill. The ultimate diversion from surgical masks and rubber suits.
The head of the marque's new Hong Kong distributor, MF Jebsen International (2923 7333), greets me. His name is Jebsen, Markus Jebsen.
He quickly reminds me that the DB7 has several times been voted Most Beautiful Car in the World. The amazing thing is the design is ultra-simple. It is the original fastback, imitated and embellished by every car maker from Ford's 1966 Mustang to Jaguar. The front end is the original shark face, but otherwise resists falling into the latest rounded front quarters craze.
The waistline is classically high, so only the driver's head can be seen from outside, the greenhouse low and sleek, the hips subtly rounded, and 19-inch, nine-spoke alloy wheels fairly screaming: Let's go!
Inside is another world, a mix of sport, class, heritage and refined comfort. Indeed, the car embodies all the attributes Johnny English thinks he has, and Atkinson enjoys in real life. Swathes of the richest leather cover the seats, doors, and steering wheel, complemented by rich wood-grain trim sweeping over the fascia, all around the central console and reappearing on the door cappings. And it looks like real wood.