A crowbar, a wire brush, a tape measure, a hooked device, a tyre-pressure gauge, a hammer such as a doctor might tap you on the knee with and a couple of mean-looking pointy things. These are the tools of the MoT-testing trade. I know this because it says so on the board they hang on. They are also the tools that are about to be inserted into various bits of this McLaren P1. And yes, that includes the crowbar.

Nothing escapes the MoT test. OK, that’s not strictly true – cars built before 1960 get a free pass, so too do tractors and goods vehicles powered by electricity. Milkfloats, I’m assuming, rather than an estate agent’s decalled-up i3. But everything else on the road? Well, that needs a certificate of roadworthiness. Yes, even if it’s a McLaren P1.

Photography: Alex Tapley

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of Top Gear magazine