Porsche 918 Spyder review

The 918 is blissfully simple to drive. Slightly tight to get into as the conventionally-opening door is small, and not initially that reassuring as the fixed position seat is as upright and pious as a church pew. I’m sure Porsche can give it a more relaxed fit if you want.

There’s a small knurled paddle up beyond your right knuckles – the gearlever – and more knurling on a dial on the steering wheel – the drivetrain mode selector. They’re both a delight to use, coolly aluminium and operating with metric precision. I thought I might be overwhelmed by the centre console. It’s a single piece of curved, touch sensitive glass and has all the same functionality as your phone – pinch to zoom, swipe, double tap. But actually it’s the best in-car system I’ve ever come across.

However, you don’t pay £800,000 to own the same technology you have in your pocket for free with a two-year contract. Well, you do actually. The 918’s brief isn’t as straightforward as the McLaren P1’s (to be the best driver’s car in the world). Here’s Walliser: “We wanted to go to the next step with everything, to see what’s possible with the materials, the carbon fibre, the hybrid, the battery system, but also the cockpit, the functionality in the steering wheel, multimedia, telephone, navigation. It wasn’t just a lap time we were after.”

Sitting in the 918 you can feel the truth of that. The view out’s superb, everything’s a joy to operate and works with a simplicity that belies the complexity underneath.