Every film fan at some point in their cinema-going life has looked up at that silvery screen during a high-octane action sequence and said to themselves… "I bet I could do that". Whether it's jumping out of a plane without a parachute, taking on a small army of feckless henchmen or drinking 15 vodka martinis in a row without falling over, what happens within the confines of your local multiplex is often made to look so easy that any idiot could do it - trust me, when I say it's not.

With the self-asserted ignorance of a deluded fool, I honestly thought that, when offered the chance to drive James Bond's automobiles of choice around a world-famous proving ground, I would be pulling donuts, quaffing Champagne and laughing maniacally while a stunning model swooned at my very feet. That didn’t happen and I now have to face the devastating and undeniable fact that I will never be as cool as James Bond.

My road to the land of humble pie began when I arrived at Millbrook Proving Ground (the top-secret driving facility where top car companies test the mettle of their new models) to meet the unassuming team of drivers from Aston Martin for a day of fast driving in very expensive cars.

The idea for this shameless jolly was ostensibly to get some measure of the 007 driving experience (while also helping to plug the DVD release of Quantum Of Solace - it's available to buy from all good DVD retailers from March 23 folks!), but all I got was a lesson in humility.

You'd think that given the opportunity to put the pedal to the metal in a near £200,000 motor, the instinct to rev that baby for all it's worth would be totally inescapable. Well, the truth is, when you're sat in an autovoiture that would take the average journalist over a decade to just raise the money for the insurance premium, you can't help but feel a touch of trepidation.

Luckily, I was egged on by Aston Martin's incredibly easy-going team to unleash the beast (so to speak) on a series of hugely exciting tracks. First up was the Aston Martin DBS (that'll be the motor Mr Bond wrecked in Casino Royale), on The Highspeed Bowl which is a circular track used to test the car's all-round performance. Next was the V8 Vantage (very similar to the "invisible car" driven in Die Another Day) on The Mile Straight which is used to test acceleration and braking. And finally, the DB9 Coupe (a machine so intense that 007 hasn't even driven it yet) on The Hill Route which is used to prove the handling and dynamics of the vehicles.

After a slightly jumpy start, I eventually began to fool myself that I was getting into the swing of things, taking the cars up to 160+mph, performing an emergency stop from 100mph, recklessly careering around the very hilltop route where Bond flipped his lid in Casino Royale and neither managing to destroy the cars or look like an absolute technology-fearing yokel. Ego sufficiently inflated, it was time for the Aston Martin crew to pop that bubble and show me how a real man drives. Let me just say that sitting in a car when it's driven through a hairpin turn at 50+mph, jostled through a series of precipitous chicanes and accelerated to within an inch of my life is a unique and disconcerting experience that plays merry hell with your stomach and sense of pride.

If I learnt anything from what was a hugely enjoyable day (honestly), it's that you should never assume that what's happening on the big screen is easy to pull off - some jobs really are better left to the professionals!

Quantum Of Solace is available to buy from March 23.

Glen Ferris