Fortunately for those of us who are easily corrupted, salvation is at hand in the form of Vauxhall's VX220 Turbo. Combining the deft agility of a pure-bred mid-engined sports car with the honest-to-goodness wallop of the best part of 200 turbocharged brake horsepower and 184lb ft of torque, the VXT now has the potential to provide as much stimulation between the corners as it does through them, hitting 60mph in 4.7sec, 100mph in 12sec and a top speed of more than 150mph, according to Vauxhall. As a certain John Simister of this parish might put it, cake is both possessed and consumed.

Despite the fact the VX now has the power-to-weight ratio of a 911, I've got reservations about a turbocharged engine in a car that was originally the product of a minimalist, less-is-more mindset. Total immediacy characterises cars like this, an all-pervading urgency that courses through their control surfaces as though oiled with adrenaline. Power alone isn't the issue. That's why small(ish), normally-aspirated four-cylinder engines are perfectly suited to the application, being light, compact and responsive. Turbocharged engines are softer in their delivery and, despite huge engineering advances, inevitably blighted by some lag, which would seem the antithesis of such an intrinsically alert package. The upside, of course, is a 35 per cent power boost, which delivers vastly increased performance. Whether the delicate dynamics are swamped by such a torrent of power and torque is what we've come to find out.

Thoughtfully, Vauxhall has structured the VXT's launch by splitting it into two distinct halves: an afternoon's lappery at the Circuit de Catalunya, followed by a morning spent exploring the mountain roads that form sections of the Catalunya Rally. Both elements are vital to get a complete picture of the VXT, for few showroom-standard road cars promise to strike a more effective balance between the polarised demands of road and track use.

Unfortunately for us, the rain in Spain is falling mainly on the race track, and the temperature is more reminiscent of Birmingham than Barcelona. All of which means the circuit is more slippery than Tony Blair at prime minister's question time. Even Vauxhall's BTCC ace Yvan Muller - a genius ice racer, don't forget - reckons the track conditions are treacherous. Consequently there's little hope of learning anything meaningful, but with a phalanx of fuelled VXTs filling the pitlane and the call of a near-empty racetrack, it seems rude not to slither around for a few laps.

It's been a while since I've driven a VX220, or adopted the necessary bodily contortions required to drop the generously-padded Meaden posterior into the thinly-cushioned driver's seat. Despite an attempt at providing a few creature comforts, the VXT's bare aluminium interior is about as welcoming as a prison cell. The miserable weather isn't helping, but it's a timely reminder that you'd need serious commitment to treat one as a year-round proposition. In pure driving position terms though, it's spot-on.

As we'd been warned, the corners are unbelievably greasy. With so much torque available at so few revs, the merest tickle of throttle gets the rear wheels slewing, even in third gear, and the masking effect of the turbo disguises the swell of motive force so effectively that the tail is often sliding before you register a loss of traction. Extreme caution is the watchword, at least until you've got a feel for modulating the power and applying some pre-emptive steering correction. Exercise some self-control, treat it with respect and the VXT proves to be surprisingly benign given its mid-engined layout. However, any thoughts of genuinely pressing-on are soon abandoned, for the conditions are scarily unforgiving. One ill-timed sneeze and you'd be in the barriers for sure.

The next day dawns dull but dry, which is great as we want to pitch the VXT against some of the toughest tarmac in Europe. After surviving a hair-raising chase through the Barcelona rush hour, we are soon amongst the pine trees, switchback bends and graffiti-scrawled armco of the Catalunya Rally stages. Scrolling away before us in true PlayStation 2 style, the road jinks and swoops like a ground-hugging rollercoaster, following every contour like a second skin. We're high enough to feel the bite of frost in the air, and the road bears the scars of repeated hard winters. We're only an hour from the racetrack but these gnarly roads are a million miles from the silky, manicured asphalt of the circuit.

As you'd expect, the compact, nimble VXT is in its element, slicing through corners like a surgeon's scalpel. The unassisted steering is perfectly weighted, the gearshift pleasingly notchy and mechanical (not to mention more positive than the Elise's stringy, disconnected shift), and the ABS-equipped brakes bite hard in the first few centimetres of pedal travel. The spring and damper rates have been increased front and rear, but there's still enough body-roll to tell you when you've got the car working, and enough pliancy for the car to soak up bumps and lateral ridges. There's less transmission of road noise and vibration through the car's structure too, which adds to the sense of intimacy with what matters and isolation from what doesn't. It's a class act.

The front-end generates enormous amounts of grip, which fills you with confidence to attack every turn. The tail matches it for adhesive quality, and the balance feels wonderfully neutral and adjustable. You immediately know when you're nudging the limit of the front Bridgestones and instinctively sense how much you need to come off the throttle and the amount of lock to unwind to get things precisely back on line. Precision is the key word here, for you drive this car in a heightened state of awareness, interpreting the constant stream of information from the steering through your fingertips as though the car is feeding you Braille pace notes.

While this is also true of the basic VX220, the VXT's increased muscularity serves only to make it feel more alive, speeding its metabolic rate. Where the normally-aspirated car's chassis revels under the loading generated in the committed charge from turn-in to apex, only to fade as the modest power on tap fails to replace neck-straining lateral g with the kidney-squeezing longitudinal forces of acceleration, the VXT combines that precision and delicacy with sheer grunt, enabling you to maintain the chassis loading for longer as you capitalise on entry speed by firing it from the mid-point to the exit.

The VX220 Turbo is a uniquely exciting experience: an inspired union of sports car agility and exploitability spliced with quasi-supercar shove. All it lacks is the soundtrack to match, but that's just nit-picking. Put simply, you won't find another new ΂£25K car to touch it.