Even though there is nothing sporty and particularly interesting to a performance-minded driver about the Mercedes 600 Kompressor – or the Großer – most of the world’s top petrolheads own one. Jay Kay has one of these, and so had Jeremy Clarkson, and yes, Jay Leno.

In this video Jay gives us a thorough tour of this amazing machine whose name, good or bad, is associated with third-world dictators:

Luxury motoring certainly wasn’t easy back in the day. You had to go through all that nonsense with the hydraulics and stuff – well, your staff did that, but still – and all you got in return was some smelly leather and a fridge. By today’s standards, Mercedes 600 Kompressor is rubbish. But it has something, and has it in spades, that not even a Rolls-Royce Phantom can match. And that is character. the car is dripping with it.