So when BMW applies the name to a lighter, sportier 330Ci you wouldn't be alone in expecting something special, not least because in light of the M3 CSL project getting the go-ahead, BMW can clearly see the merit in building driver-focussed models, even if they'll sell only in relatively small numbers.

Consequently we were pretty excited about the 330Ci Clubsport's arrival, but when a brash-looking 3-series drove into the car park sporting a combination of purple, sorry Velvet Blue paintwork, fussy alloys and a clumsy rear wing we thought there must have been some mistake. The badge on the boot supported our theory, merely saying 330Ci, but on opening the driver's door the kickplate proudly wore the 'Clubsport' logo. Strange.

Opening the info pack only served to compound our fears that far from being a pure driver's car, the Clubsport was merely a Coupe loaded with 'sporty' extras. Worthy of just one hastily inserted page, the sum total of the Clubsport's hardware changes are unique design 18-inch alloys, 15mm lower, stiffer sports suspension and the removal of 20kg of sound insulation to improve the aural quality of the engine.

Cosmetically, there's the boot spoiler (aptly named), Clubsport door sills, sports seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara, and a shortened 'M' gear lever. Oh, and silver aluminium 'cubed' interior trim on the dash, intended, and I quote, 'to create a sense of supreme driving precision'.

Dubious interior decor or not, let's not forget that the Clubsport is based on the thoroughly sound 330Ci. Supremely smooth and generating 231bhp, its 3-litre straight-six is lusty and laid-back, a complete contrast to the M3 motor's head-banging rev-frenzy, but more than enough to post a satisfyingly potent 0-62 time of 6.5sec and go on to hit the 155mph limiter. If those figures look familiar it's because they are: according to BMW's own figures the Clubsport is no faster than the standard Ci.

The Clubsport's chassis modifications promise some additional edge, but attack a B-road with any conviction and you'll soon discover a frustrating lack of front-end bite. Second-gear corners and a 330 BMW usually means large amounts of fun, but in the Clubsport you're more likely to encounter understeer as the front is keen to push wide unless you really pitch it in. Even then the combination of those 18in rims and relative lack of power means M3-style powerslides are as likely as a Sven-Goran Eriksson smile. What's more the stiffer springs and dampers have harmed the low-speed ride without adding any precision to the high-speed handling. For a car we hoped would be a worthy junior to the M3, it's all a bit saloon-like. A bit woolly around the edges.

If all this sounds negative, it is, but only because the Clubsport tag is a flagrant misnomer. With 'Sport' and 'SE' already applied to the 3-series, the Clubsport name has been plucked out of the ether by a product/brand/marketing team with little imagination and a tenuous grasp of the heritage and significance of certain names. As a result they have succeeded only in making hard-edged dynamic promises the refined, smooth 330Ci can't hope to deliver. Worse still, the suspension tweaks and cosmetic add-ons rob the 330Ci of its integrity.

As if to underline the Clubsport's depressingly inevitable niche as rich man's 330 rather than a poor man's M3, this particular test car came fitted with, amongst other things, a full-leather interior, heated seats, two grand's worth of colour screen Sat/Nav and some rear side airbags. All of which bumps the price from the standard Clubsport's not inconsiderable ΂£31,740 to a whopping ΂£37,095. In case you're wondering that's just ΂£1500 shy of an M3. I rest my case.