“Every man wants to be James Bond, and every woman wants to be with him,” said Raymond Chandler. You can deny it all your want, but he had a point; few fictional characters combine style, sophistication and utter ruthlessness in such a devastating combination. There’s also something irritatingly unattainable about Bond. You could argue his skills are all down to training, yet it’s hard not to feel that you might as well aspire to be Spiderman – either way it’s not going to happen.

But you can always pretend, right? A Walter PPK/S won’t win you many friends, and there are only certain times when a Tom Ford dinner suit is appropriate. But an Aston Martin, now that’s a different story. If you’ve seen the latest Bond adventure you’ll know the cute reference to Goldfinger in the shape of the DB5; one of the cars used in the film is owned by Eon studios, while the other was prepared by the incredible people at Aston Martin Works.

And while the prospect of borrowing it to visit the majestic scenery of Glencoe is somewhere between impossible and much harder than that, I reckon we’ve found an acceptable compromise; the new Aston Martin Vanquish. The plan is simple; grab the keys to the Vanquish, head for Glencoe and try and find the roads used in Skyfall. And maybe pretend to be 007 for a while…

The first stop is headquarters – well, Aston Martin’s Gaydon premises anyway. The stunning building is more like the villain’s lair than MI6, with its imposing frontage and a moat complete with an Aston Martin Vantage sitting above it. The glass doors open as I approach to reveal the palatial entrance hall lined with different Aston models; it offers up the right amount of gravitas. As I sign over both my kidneys and my first born in exchange for the keys to a Vanquish, my very own Q (Kevin from the press office) also provides me with a watch to help me tackle my foes.

The Jaeger Le-Coultre AMVX02 is a limited edition timepiece produced by the Swiss watchmaker designed specifically for Aston Martin owners and launched to coincide with the original Rapide. The engineers managed to squeeze the transponder from the key fob into the watch, so you can lock and unlock your car just by fingering the outside of the dial, or flash the lights by pressing both. It’s as close to Bond-tech as any civilian would get and is unfeasibly cool. The only downside is the £22,000 list price, which I try not to think about as I strap it to my wrist.

Then it’s outside to the Vanquish itself. Initial pictures didn’t do it justice; it’s love at first sight in the flesh. It’s a dull day in Warwickshire but the light still plays over its curves, looking graceful and beautiful but double-hard all at the same time. Slide into the cabin and the new layout is an instant hit; the gorgeous dials are as before but the slimmer transmission tunnel gives more room and the dashboard layout is both smart and easier to use.

There’s also the unusual steering wheel, which looks like a rounded square more than a circle. Your brain tells you it shouldn’t work but within a few miles you realise it sits comfortably in your hand, the thickness of the rim is just right and the Alcantara segments are supremelycomfortable.

When not being driven in the manner of Bond escaping the bad guys, the Vanquish is every inch the super Grand Tourer. Friday’s leg starts with a brief cross-country dash from Gaydon then a long motorway slog taking in the M5 and M6 at rush hour, and although the traffic is miserable the Vanquish does its very best to soothe your soul. It’s late evening by the time we arrive at our overnight halt, but I’m not in the least bit tired or achy. I elect to skip the Martini (we don’t have the ingredients or a cocktail shaker) before bed.

Saturday morning brings trickles of sunlight, and with a sheen of dew across its curves the Aston is looking even more seductive. Although yesterday saw us put 250 miles beneath its wheels today promises even better roads; but not before we’ve crossed the border. Back on the motorway we go, after a quick full English – surely Bond’s choice of breakfast when whisky isn’t available – but the miles roll easily by. As usual,traversing the Pennines means passing through its own microclimate and we drive through a brief, but intense, snow storm. Piloting a car worth over €231,000 in the snow tenses the mind (and other bits), but it ploughs on unfazed.

We cross the border in glorious sunshine, pass through Glasgow and onwards toward Glencoe. We have an idea about where the exact road might be, but there’s some guesswork involved. However, as we start to climb and then descend, the scenery becomes more spectacular and we sense that we’re getting close. The Vanquish is proving to be a distraction, however; deserted, twisty roads are hard to resist and that magnificent V12 eggs you on with its spectacular soundtrack. As we head into the hills it bounces off the rocks – I hope the walkers are enjoying it as much as we are – and however challenging the surface it grips, feels controlled and a pure delight to drive.

Piloting a car worth over €231,000 tenses the mind

And then all of sudden we stumble upon it; a minor road that appears to go nowhere other than between two peaks. We head down it at near-walking pace as the surface is patchy at best, and then turn a corner to reveal a scene that matches the one picture we have for reference. Silly as it sounds, there’s a buzz of excitement as we rumble over the same bit of road that the iconic DB5, drove over with Daniel Craig and Judie Dench in Skyfall – in fact it’s obvious which section was used as there is freshly-laid tarmac in a completely unlikely setting.

Parking up for some photos, the Vanquish looks magnificent in the falling light. The old Aston might have got the nod for the film itself but there’s not a shred of doubt that the Vanquish is the spiritual successor and more than good enough for Bond. That makes it far too good for me; standing in the layby with the Aston parked behind me I know I’m a fraud, but its looks, its heritage and the 007 association makes me feel a slightly secret agent at least.

Aston Martin Vanquish: £191,080, 6.0-litre V12, 565 bhp, 183 mph, and 0-62 mph in 4.1seconds.