The idea of a winter car is a familiar one to those who possess multiple vehicles of varying degrees of niceness. The concept is a broad one, and although it is usually applied to something cheap and semi-disposable that can keep salt (and miles) off nicer warm weather cars, others will prefer something more exciting.

This is what, indirectly, brings us to this week’s Pill. A few years ago I visited a well-known supercar specialist for a story, this being during the summer. The average value of the stock in the showroom was well into six figures, making a curious contrast with a dusty looking 996 Carrera 4 that was parked around the back. Presuming it was an unwanted part-ex I was wondering about making a cheeky offer, but it turned out to be the millionaire proprietor’s winter wheels and categorically not for sale. Apparently, it came out of its hibernation every autumn, and, wearing a set of winter tyres, was pretty much unstoppable in slippery conditions.

Beyond the fact that earlier 996 had a black interior and lacked a private registration, it was pretty much identical to this week’s Pill. This is another AWD Carrera 4 with a manual gearbox, plus a similar six-figure mileage. But while the earlier car apparently owed its canny owner less than £10,000 six years ago, this one is up for nearly 50 per cent more. That’s because, from their very low ebb, 996 prices have started to creep up, and while it’s not long since £15,000 would have been enough to buy a…