At last, I can have a mid-life crisis, cheers former MI5 boss Sir Jonathan Evans, as he speeds off in a Maserati

James Bond may be unafraid of giving up his spurious undercover identities by being seen in some of the world’s fastest cars, but the UK’s former spy chief has only been able to go public with his love for sports cars now that he has retired.

Sir Jonathan Evans, who stepped down as director-general of MI5 last week, said he had to resist his long-held obsession with Italian sports cars while in the secret service due to fears he would draw too much attention to himself.

“Intelligence officers want to pass unnoticed,” he told The Sunday Times. “So a Vauxhall or a [Russian] Volga is a better bet, depending where in the world you are.

“If I was in the market for an Italian supercar – and I spend enough time on classic car websites to worry that I might be – a Maserati would definitely be on my shortlist.”