It's typical of the APS ethos for road cars. Instead of some light-switch power delivery, where the world goes from dull and boring to acid trip in a split second, you get great bottom-end punch and that rippling mid-range rush only forced induction can provide.

The maintenance of driveability also explains the V6 copping a small turbo (a Garrett GT28/35R, as it happens) on each bank rather than a dirty big single bugger. Two smaller snails will always spool up faster than one big mother - and that does low-end urge no harm at all. Throw in the fact that they're ball-bearing and water-cooled and they spin up mightily fast.

It also means that the turbos can be mounted low in the airstream under the car, while clever design ensures that the plumbing between each snail and the intercooler is the same length.

Of course, even with all that going for it, there's no guarantee (from where I sit, anyway)that the result isn't going to be a pig. But proof that there is APS genius at work comes the first time you stand on the barst. The Zed doesn't just accelerate; it plain rips away. Big time! We didn't put a clock on it, but if this thing can't pull an easy 12 (which is Turbo 911-fast), well, we'll just about bloody stand rooted.

Rear-wheel power has been measured at a neat 280kW, which is way, way up from the stocker's 160 or so. Combined with the El Fatso torque curve, this makes it both effortless and very attention-grabbing. Yet much, much more impressive than this is the driveability of the bugger. Flatten the throttle in sixth at just 1500rpm or so and the thing accelerates smoothly and briskly. Any gear, any speed, any revs, the Zed doesn't cough, puke or pig-root; it just leans back on its rear tyres and breathes in the horizon.

Overtaking? No worries. All you really need is about 2000rpm showing and tramp the gas pedal. Provided you've got that many revs on board, there's no real need to shuffle down a gear. In fact, it spools up so damned fast in the mid-range that it's a higher gear you'll be looking for, not a lower one. Whatever was in your path microseconds ago will be now be a distant second. Yes, indeed; there are fast cars and then there are cars like the APS twin-turbo Zed.