Overall rating:

Nissan leaves a Juke at a racing workshop and only 22 weeks later the Juke-R is born. GT-R bits underneath, bonkers Juke body and a journalist in the driver's seat; this is going to be one hell of a fun Goodwood Festival of Speed media preview day.

Key Facts

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol
Transmission: six-speed dual-clutch automatic, four-wheel drive
Body style: five-door compact crossover (on steroids)
Top speed: 160mph
0-62mph: 3.7 seconds
Power: 485hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 588Nm at 3,200 - 5,200rpm

I'll make no bones about it; the Nissan Juke was one of the most underwhelming cars I drove when it was released in 2010. Sometimes car and driver just don't gel, no matter how many times they are reacquainted; the Juke is just such a case for me.

And so the prospect of driving one up the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb would normally have me lying awake with worry. However, when the offer came in to do just that, my sleep deprivation was actually down to over-excitement. But this Juke is different. This Juke has an R after its name.

Wild body kit, oversized wheels, matt black paint and rear doors welded shut - normally the sign of a back-street lash up fitted with Halfords go-faster thrills. But this particular supermini has the brawn to back the image. You see, those 20-inch wheels are from Nissan's GT-R supercar, as are the brakes, parts of the interior, chassis and engine. All 485hp of it.

So here I am, queuing for the start-line at the Goodwood media day, behind a Ferrari 308 GTB Michelotto with an exhaust so loud I can barely hear my passenger. It should have been GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough in the second seat, but a bizarre turn of events sees Sky TV presenter Tony Jardine sat next to me instead. Neither of us has been in this car before. Helpful.

Everything is set to Race mode, the car straining against the massive brakes as I prod the throttle. As the flag drops I prod harder, release the calipers and we make a rather unspectacular start - from the outside at least. From the cabin it's only the rapidly approaching right hander that stops me looking at Tony incredulously - from here our leap from the line was nothing short of mind-blowing.

The high centre of gravity makes itself known as we brake hard for the first corner, and a gentle wag from the rear reminds me about this car's relatively short wheelbase. Well into three figures we quickly pass the small crowd in front of the main house before self-preservation kicks in and I lift for the upcoming hump.

Seconds later we've dispensed with the left-hander (via a rather clumsy line) and the flint wall is in my sights. We pass without as much as scratch on the matt-black paint (this is one of only two Juke-Rs in existence after all) and all too soon we're at the top paddock parked amongst the supercars, circuit racers and even the odd F1 star. Harnesses released I clamber over the roll cage for some fresh air, gasping for breath, before realising my body is shaking with the adrenaline being pumped around it.

Marketing exercise or not, this is no pretty show car with a detailed technical spec that only works on paper. This is a special creation that can walk as well as it can talk, and one that will undoubtedly keep me awake at night for many years to come - wondering if I'll ever get the chance to drive something so wonderfully bonkers ever again.