So today, luckily, the Zee Twenny Aight is in its element. Trouble is, so is the GT-R. It’s amazing, this car. Launched more than six years ago, it still looks sharp. The crease at the top of the C-pillar is a masterpiece, while everything that goes on underneath is the product of a precision that’s alien to any other nation. We already know it’s capable of astonishing feats. Against it, the M6 is more generic. We tease the Camaro for being so American, but the BMW is equally inward-looking, content to pace out the miles alongside Audi and Merc.

But forget the bigger-picture stuff, we begin by lining them up for a gung-ho drag race. Right up the Z/28’s quarter-mile. Sat idling on the start line, what’s apparent is that while the M6 and GT-R emit a constant hiss of electrical whirrs and hums, the Chevy just throbs. You can feel it inside, then feel it rock slightly on the tight springs if you blip the throttle. And you will blip the throttle.

They’re level for the first, ooh, 10 yards, a red arrowhead of noise and force. I find this surprising, before twigging that the M6 false-started. Slick-shod traction and 4WD were a close match, and then the Nissan just… disappears. Well, The Stig is driving that one. At some stage, the M6 gets full traction, and soon after the Camaro requires a first/second shift. But the Nissan is relentless. Maybe the M6 is faster still above 120mph, maybe. But one thing’s certain, even allowing for the manual gearbox: the Chevy is the slowest. Later, a third-gear roll-on test from 30mph proves it. The Z/28 holds station only until the others get their turbos spinning, at which point they batter into the distance.