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Another spin-off of the Porsche obsession with fettling is a sense of continuity and lineage. If you put me in the passenger seat of any current 911, blindfolded me and put ear muffs on me, I could still tell we were in a 911.

It has a distinct bobbing motion at the front end that has been there since the Sixties. It's a function of the weight of the engine being where it is and the compliant but firm damping, and I love it.

That's not to say it's unstable or in any way dangerous - this is the most planted car you can imagine. It's as if the nose is a bit restless, sniffing for another corner to attack. The steering chatters away in your hands, alive and full of feel. You sense every tiny bump on the road surface, every ridge and dip.

OK, the downside is that it can tramline quite badly on occasion, but you can live with it, because the alternative is a numbness that just wouldn't be a Porsche 911. It is talking to you constantly through the suede rim, and the slightest thought of a movement in your hands will have the car changing direction. Along with the engine, it's the car's most impressive quality.

Or is it the chassis? I can't decide. It's all good. Punt it through a high-speed bend and as you'd expect, the grip levels are gigantic - at least they are in the dry on these Michelin Sport Cup tyres.

Streaming wet and slippery conditions might be a bit more hairy. Lift off, and you still get that 911 oversteer moment as the mass of the engine pivots beyond the rear axle, but it's under control - yours to use if you feel the need. And have the balls.

And, of course, the stability control will let you slide it a bit before it catches the car. Or you can turn it off. This is a track-focused machine that any racing driver would be immediately at home in.

I'm not a racing driver, not by any means, but I can certainly appreciate how direct and agile this car is. And if you love driving as much as I do, you'd love it too.