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OK, so the modern Celica's Yamaha 1.8 VVTL-i engine doesn't quite have the same poke as my GT-Four's 3S-GTE, but plonk it in an extruded aluminium cage with a fibreglass skin and you have a lot of fun just waiting to be had. And tonight I had the first taste of it.

I had been given a BMW 120i to pootle about in, but had to point out that it's a medicrely-powered hatchback, and not a high powered super-handling sports coupé like the GT-Four. Out of the five cars I cited as examples of vehicles being similar in performance and handling characteristics, I didn't expect to get one, let alone the first on the list. The line up was: Elise (I had the old '97 model in mind), Impreza 2.0, Smart Roadster, Alfa GT, MR2 Spyder. I have to say I expected them to laugh at the top end and debate the lower end's similarity to the GT-Four. Very glad I didn't get the Impreza - they were only meant to be examples, after all.

I've not had a chance to really give the Elise what for yet, I'm still getting used to having so much feedback from the road. There's air-con, a radio, ABS, airbags and even traction control, but absolutely no power steering. Which is nice, though a little disconcerting - the last time I drove a car without PS must have been about 6 or 7 years ago, and that was a faded blue F-reg Escort estate which came with instructions to get in through the boot if I forgot that the doors wouldn't unlock from the outside. It makes a hell of a nice deviation from the Corsa's wibbly-wobbly jelly steering column, and the BMW's much firmer but still comparitively buttery system.

The gearbox is fantastic. It sounds clunky and gnarly, but that's because all that's between the driver and the linkage is a thin piece of plastic. The stick itself is rock solid when you're cruising, and where I found myself head-banging while changing gear in the Corsa and the same to a lesser extent in the BMW, it's actually incredibly smooth. Which is funny, because it feels like a Go-Cart.

The pedals are just the right distance apart, and the clutch is very friendly. It doesn't bite hard, but it doesn't wait til your knee is on your chin before you do start to move. The radio is difficult to see and the air-con/etc controls are practically under the dash, but everything you need for actually driving - including the traction control disable button - are all in natural places. Everything just feels good.

Still haven't worked out where I'm meant to stow the hard top, though.