The other day I spent a bit of time driving the latest line up of Mercedes cars, most of them were very good, some of them were unforgettable.
The really memorable cars, aside from highlights like the new A Class and the sublime S Class, was anything bearing the three pointed star with a dirty great big V8 engine under the bonnet.
Take the C Class Coupe, for instance. One of my favourites. In standard form, it's a fabulous coupe, with a bit more character than a BMW 3 Series and more presence than an Audi A5.
All C Class coupes come with a smattering of AMG goodies, but the top of the range model is the C63 AMG. It's sportier than all its siblings for many reasons, chief among these is its enormous V8 engine.
Dropping a cog and flooring the throttle in one of these astonishing cars is an assault to the senses. All the usual cliches apply here. You're kicked in the back, pinned to your seat and you're treated to the kind of ear battering that a top-fuel dragster driver knows pretty well. I assume.
Driving one of these amazing supercars, even for a short time, gives you a surge of adrenaline and leaves you feeling alive and privileged. But it also leaves me with a feeling of sadness.
The truth is, as much as we petrolheads love them, big V8s like this will soon be a thing of the past.
The motor industry is down-sizing. Ford has launched the tiny Eco-boost engines that are doing an annoyingly good job of powering cars that, on paper, are far too big for them.
I'm currently driving round in an Alfa Romeo that has an engine smaller than a motorbike and it has just as many cylinders as a bike. Surprisingly, it's very good.
Ten years ago Alfa Romeo wouldn't have looked twice at an engine that made a noise a bit like a lawnmower but now it's not just making them, it's making very good ones.
It's all about making small engines that propel cars very quickly. Engines are doing the same job with only half the cubic capacity they did in the past - and they need less cylinders too.
It won't be long before buying a Mercedes with an engine of more than, say, five litres seems very outlandish and a trifle pointless. There'll inevitably be a two litre engine on the market that does the job just as well and uses half the fuel.
And that's what it's all about. It's all about economy figures, which is a sad reality to face as we watch our fossil fuel reserves ebb away.
But while a clean, hyper-modern small engine might make the car accelerate just as quickly as a big dirty one and, while it may halve the C02 output of the car, it won't make anything like the same noise and stir the same emotion.
That's what I'll miss. As we all wander forth into a future of high-tech pint-sized engines and hybrid this and electric that, I'll cherish the few remaining moments when I'm driving something very special.
Something with a big engine that makes the whole car rock when you blip the throttle. A muscle car. A car that has a soul and that doesn't compromise on anything in the pursuit of good old fashioned power and thrills.
I'll miss the V8 when it goes. They might be silly, expensive and bad for the enviroment but they can turn a mundane car into a memorable car. And a good car in to an absolutely brilliant car.
