But this is not, at least initially, a particularly easy car to drive smoothly. The control weights – the pedals, steering, and the precise short-shift manual box – are heavy, meaning this is a car that rewards a bit of patience. But piece together a series of quick corners with the engine screaming to its 9,000rpm red line and there’s little else like it.

The brakes, while a little sharp and snappy to begin with, never fade. It’s another area – along with the unrelenting grip from the wide-section Michelin tyres – that elevates that feeling of supreme poise; few cars manage to simultaneously flatter and challenge the driver like the S/T does.

This is a truly rapid car, albeit one that trades some of the outright speed of the PDK-equipped GT3 RS for the added engagement that each of the added analogue elements seem to contribute to. It’s a raw, undiluted driving experience, only emphasised by the sound of small stones hitting the inside of the rear wheelarches while the car’s mechanicals whirr away in the background. It’s the result of all that removed sound deadening plus the lighter, thinner glasshouse, and it adds (rather spectacularly at times) to this 911’s immense sense of occasion.

But that stipped back driving experience is in stark contrast to the lavishly-specified cabin. This is no pared-back race-car; the dashboard is trimmed in beautiful leather, while all the buttons and switches operate with delightful tactility – just as they do in any modern Porsche. The fixed-back carbon fibre bucket seats might feel a bit ergonomically challenged at first, but once you settle in, the entire car just envelopes you.

We can well imagine the 911 S/T being an amenable cross-country road-trip companion, in fact. Sure, it’s not as cushioned or refined as a 911 Turbo, but it’s compliant and settled at 70-80mph in a way you might not expect. If you can squeeze your soft bags past the optional £3,707 carbon fibre roll cage, it could even be considered pretty practical.

It’s a shame, then, that all 1,963 examples of the Porsche 911 S/T are spoken for. Though in true Porsche GT fashion, that was probably the case long before the car was even announced…