"A few months ago I found myself on the receiving end of a salutary lesson in the pure essence of sports car driving. The experience brought with it a sharp reminder of an almost forgotten time when motoring thrills were not the exclusive preserve of forced induction engines, multiple valves and twin, or even quad overhead camshafts. Four wheel drive was strictly limited to Land Rovers and military jeeps and any futurologist who mentioned the impending importance of a ‘blow off valve’ would probably have been goaled as a sex offender.

Doing a ‘Nuvolari’

The memory jogging was provided by a humble Austin Healey Sprite Mk IV, a car which hardly portrays an image of tyre-shredding terror. And yet, with only a paltry 65hp, this Sprite possessed an innate sense of charm which seems to have been overlooked a car manufacturers pile on the gizmos and the horsepower. Zip the sprite around with casual abandon and sharp cornering, even at low speeds, will produce a symphony of tyre chirps and howls. Hang on until the car’s limits are exceeded, you don’t have to wait long, and the reward is almost instantaneous – the sprites rear end slides outwards, is easily caught with a flick of opposite lock and you quickly find yourself doing a ‘Nuvolari’ as you exit the corner. This, I feel perfectly illustrates the enduring appeal of cheap, basic sports cars, such as the Sprite – the fun happens a relatively low speeds. There isn’t going to be too much trouble ahead if you overstep the limit, and even a novice driver rapidly builds up enough confidence to really exploit the car’s handling characteristics."

Combine all these factors with a snappy gear change, responsive rack and pinion steering - and the ability to wrist-flick your way through traffic or other road obstacles, and there you have the perfect recipe for a sports car. The fact that the Sprite is flat knacker at rather less than 100mph is completely immaterial - its the driving thrills that count and the little Austin-Healey proves that you dont need to be travelling at light-speed to get a buzz from your motoring.

What a pity the British lost the plot during the early 1970s........