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Wyer's next move was arguably more memorable. Struggling to make its 917 work, Porsche did a deal with his Gulf-backed team, effectively turning it into the 'works' squad.

Wyer's chief engineer, John Horsmann, figured that a revised tail would improve the 917's questionable rear downforce, and the 917K (for Kurzheck) was the result.

In the end, it was a semi-works squad - Porsche-Salzburg - which scored the first 917 Le Mans win in 1970, but frankly nobody really remembers that and for a very good reason: a bloke called Steve McQueen made a film called Le Mans in 1971, in which his character, Michael Delaney, drove a Porsche 917K. In Gulf colours. Coolness guaranteed for all eternity.

Other Gulf sponsorship arrangements have come and gone - various Seventies Mirages, Kremer Porsche, in the mid-Nineties McLaren GTR, in 2001 with the Johansson Motorsport Audi R8, with Barazi-Epsilon last year at Le Mans and in the LMS - but by hooking up with Aston Martin, the profile of both brands has rocketed in a way that has taken everyone by surprise.

The DBR9 we know and love. Unveiled in '04, raced for the first time at the Sebring 12 Hours in March 2005, robbed of victory in the 21st hour of Le Mans in '06, GT1 class-winner and fifth overall in 2007 (plus, all six DBR9s entered in Le Mans that year made it to the finish, despite the Biblical conditions).

While Audi and Peugeot's LMP1 cars battle for diesel supremacy, Aston goes racing with cars specifically designed to make your knees wobble and ears bleed, otherwise what's the point?

Twenty-four hour endurance racing does funny things to people, and as I stood with the Aston guys in the closing stages of last year's race, the enormity of the challenge was palpable.

Two months later, Darren Turner treated me to three laps of the Nürburgring GP circuit in a DBR9, which turned out to be the most exhilarating automotive experience I've ever had.

So, much more than just a fast car and a fancy colour scheme then. For 2008, all the grit, spit, and romance of Le Mans distills into the two works Gulf Aston DBR9s. Aston reckons it's still David to GM's Corvette Goliath, and that after last year, Goliath will be seeking revenge. We'll be there.

Jason Barlow

Photography: Lee Brimble