Toyota GT86 review: Nothing beats it

With traditional sports car looks, it has a long bonnet and neat short tail and rear splitter with those twin exhausts. Add to that a slightly menacing front grille and you have a bit of a monster on your hands.

There's no mistaking the intention of the GT86 – a back to basics rear-wheel drive sports car that will give you endless pleasure, even though it hasn't got the most powerful engine in its class, the naturally aspirated engine reaches out to you to hit the gas and lay on the revs.

The result is pure driving enjoyment. And I certainly experienced that - especially on winding twisting roads where you could really appreciate that rear-wheel drive, coupled with a lightweight body and plenty of feedback from the steering that make the GT86 one of the best handling sports cars around.

And with the car's powerful brakes that don't snatch at all when you need them in a hurry, driving quickly (but not overly so!) means you gain confidence to push the car hard. In fact such was my enjoyment out on the open road that I'd quite like to take this out on to a track and see just how hard I can push it and still feel confident.

Inside the quality of finish is not terribly high, but then you're not paying a premium for that – this car is all about the driving.

The layout makes it feel like a road-going racer and the cockpit is driver-focused with instrumentation instinctive and functional and superb seats.

GT86 has the lowest driver hip-point of any Toyota production vehicle. The seat design was honed using information gained during circuit testing at the Nürburgring to ensure the driver remains comfortable when spending long periods behind the wheel.

The seatback and cushions are designed to give the best possible support under acceleration G-forces from the front, rear and sides. And the shape of the front is designed not only for comfort, but also to prevent passengers' elbows from interfering with gearshift operation.

Safety-wise you get seven airbags, stability control and a limited-slip differential (that gives better grip in corners) as standard.

Now it may be touted as a 2+2 but in reality the rear space is tiny and only really useful for storage space. Anyway, who wants to be weighed down by any more people?

This isn't a car to transport the family and friends in.

You do, however, get a 243 litre boot which is generous for the type of car plus with the rear seats folded down space is enough for a few days away.

I drove one of the special editions, a strictly limited one-off collection, and let me say it got me noticed with people rather expecting a boy racer to emerge from the driver's door.

Toyota has transformed a fleet of six GT86 to recreate classic liveries and retro styling details as a tribute to some of the great race and rally cars of the past 50 years.

Each car is inspired by a different model. They include two sporting versions of Toyota's original sports car, the 2000GT, and Ove Andersson's 1970s Celica 1600GT rally car – the machine that helped inspire Toyota to launch a full international motorsports programme.

The IMSA GTU Celica that raced in North America in the 1980s, the World Rally Championship Celica GT-Four and the Esso Ultron Tiger Supra from the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship are also celebrated.

Vehicle vinyl specialist Motor Mode has reproduced key elements from the original liveries in the right proportions for the GT86.

New springs bring the cars' ride height down by 40mm and Rota has provided new wheels in different finishes to capture the retro look. A new Milltek Sport stainless steel exhaust system provides the finishing visual and aural flourish.

My 'tribute' GT86 was the Castrol Toyota Celica GT-Four with red and green Castrol livery. This Group A Toyota made its World Rally Championship debut in 1994 and went on to claim seven podium finishes in seven events entered during the 1995 season, including victory for Didier Auriol in the Tour de Corse. I loved it.

But back to the 'ordinary' GT86. If you're tempted it won't break the bank with prices starting from less than £23,000 and it does come with Toyota's five-year warranty. I don't think there's anything to beat it.