A few kilometres back, on a long, straight section of the route, I did wonder if Ford's new SportKa could do with more bhp than 94. But that line of thought vaporised like a burst bubble as we dived, in Ka formation, into a slightly downhill right-hander. Their snub noses snuck into the corner with complete correspondence to the steering wheels' movements, no more, no less, no delay, no response-graph distortion. Their equally snub tails followed through with a point-to-the-apex attitude, quelling any sniff of understeer, interacting transparently. Then another, tighter bend, but no need to change down from the fourth gear previously selected because we were still in the meat of the torque curve.

Now we're on the Col de Vence itself, tumbling downhill, some bends tightening just beyond the sight-line. Easing off the power just tucks the nose in a little more, by exactly the amount eased off. There's no momentous build-up of yaw forces; we're not into pulse-pounding lift-off oversteer here.

I can't think of a heated supermini with cleaner, purer, more involving handling. The now defunct Fiesta Zetec S? Steering too viscous. Peugeot 106 GTI/CitroΫn Saxo VTR/VTS? That fear of life beyond the oversteering edge. VW Lupo GTI? Way too fuzzy.

The regular Ford Ka has always been a great handler, living proof that there's nothing wrong with a torsion-beam rear suspension if the car's small enough. A drive in a Ka Challenge rally car a couple of years ago remains etched on my mind, especially when an outside rear wheel slithered towards a ditch but full throttle and opposite lock saved the day. And now, at long last, there's a road-going Ka to exploit all that potential.

Why, though, has it taken six years from the Ka's launch, a time-lapse longer than some cars' complete model cycles? Mainly it has been the lack of a suitable engine. Kas thus far have used the old Valencia pushrod 1.3, itself derived from the Kent unit whose roots lay in the 1959 Anglia motor. The Zetec-SE series of 16-valvers found in some Fiestas and Focuses and the Puma wouldn't fit in the short-nose Ka without compromising crash performance on account of its greater width. But now there's a solution.

That solution is the new Duratec sohc eight-valver. As a 1.3 it now powers the unSportKa and base-model Fiestas; as a 1.6 it hauls the StreetKa convertible and the SportKa. It has 100lb ft of torque to pull 934kg of Ka (the StreetKa weighs 127kg more); not massive, but enough for a good time in the right surroundings, especially as 90 per cent of it is on tap from just 1500rpm.
The broader arches (to cover a 22mm front track increase) and deeper valances are mainly those of the StreetKa, as are the six-spoke 16in alloys. Also from the StreetKa is the short-throw gear linkage and aluminium spherical gearknob. Here, though, the delicious shift action controls a close-ratio gearset; this is not a motorway car. A black interior, relieved by seats with bright blue inserts, and a tailgate spoiler that blends into the back bumper, complete the visual makeover.

But there's more to the SportKa than that. The front lower wishbones' forward bushes are harder, there's a cross-brace between the wishbone mountings, the anti-roll bar is 60 per cent stiffer, the ride height drops by 14mm, and the front struts' top mounts are from the Puma. The steering rack is mounted solidly to the body, the pinion has a needle-roller bearing and the rack's internal guide yoke is Teflon-coated. Low friction is the aim, and precision of control is helped further by a stiffer steering column and power assistance that's minimised around the straight-ahead.

Want to know more? Well, the rear torsion beam is 45 per cent stiffer in roll, complementing the overall 27 per cent increase in front roll stiffness. Thus is the handling prowess explained, yet the SportKa still rides decently. Someone at Ford is a serious damper whizz.

Still not sure about that engine? Well, it has the sort of crisp, gutsy throttle response that made the old Mini feel quicker than it was, and it still sounds Ford-ish even though it's an all-new design. Funny thing, aural DNA.

True, max speed is just 108mph. And standstill to 62mph takes almost ten seconds. Take it from me, though: you'll enjoy every one of them.