What's all this about?

Aah, hire vehicles - ratty old city cars, usually, in bog-basic spec with steel wheels and hubcaps (optionally missing), wind-up windows and likely black plastic bumpers that are scuffed to all holy hell by years of systematic abuse at the hands of drivers who couldn't give two shiny hoots about the motor. Right? Well, not if you live in London and you use the on-demand travel app Gett. In that instance, you've now got access to a range of the latest Porsches.

Really?

Yes indeed. Although we should point out this is a chauffeur service, rather than a self-drive scheme; the Porsches in question will be driven by a fleet of approved drivers who have undergone training at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone. But still, being ferried around in a Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, a Cayenne S E-Hybrid or a Macan SUV would be nice, wouldn't it?

How does the scheme work?

Provided by One Transport through the Gett app, from today you can order a pick-up in an area of central London between 11am and 11pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, or between 3pm and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. There are 100 Porsches on the fleet for the duration of the promotion (it ends in May 2018) and shorter rides, within an area of central London, will cost a flat rate of £20, while rides ending outside of the central London zone will be priced according to time and distance. Gett will tell you before you travel exactly how much these longer journeys will be.

And can anyone use this?

Ah, no. It is limited exclusively to current Porsche customers, as well as a 'selection of Gett's high-value customers who may consider a Porsche in the future'. So if you and your mates are on the lash in Soho at 2am on a Saturday night in March, don't expect to be booking a hybrid Panamera to come and pick you up. Unless, of course, you own a Porsche and you've got Gett...

What's the purpose of this promotion, then?

It's kind of an indication of where things are heading in the future. Ownership patterns in the automotive industry are changing rapidly and the belief is that, in years to come, people won't have their own car at all, instead just ordering up a variety of forms of on-demand transport to ferry them about. This pilot project, then, will provide the 'first real-world evaluation of a new premium mobility offer'. Sheesh.

And what does Porsche think of all this?

It's right behind the proposal. Ragnar Schulte, general manager for marketing at Porsche Cars GB, said: "We're delighted that our customers will be able to travel in Porsche cars in central London with chauffeurs. This premium travel initiative will last six months with results being used to inform our future strategy for 'on-demand' premium transportation. We invite all users to give feedback on this new service."