“Bentayga is all about firsts,” says Peter Guest, the man referred to in Crewe as ‘Mr Bentayga’. “It was Bentley’s first SUV and now it’s Bentley’s first diesel. In time, it will become our first plug-in hybrid.”

Guest is a man with an enviable track-record: his CV includes the Aston Martin DB7 and Renaultsport Clio V6. Yet his enthusiasm for the Bentayga – a vehicle that, particularly with a diesel engine, seems the antithesis of a sports car – is infectious. Can a black-pump Bentley really be exciting?