It seems like just a moment ago that Ford so memorably imposed such a reassuring state of order on the UK car market, at least to road testers like me; one that lasted a full decade itself. The Blue Oval created a family hatchback that was a much better drive than anything else like it: the original 1998 Focus.

Britain had some of the best roads in Europe on which to demonstrate its qualities. And, sure enough, Britons responded. The Focus became the country’s biggest-selling car. We got it. Well done us.