'Great chassis and not a lot else,' were his exact words. 'That interior really is horrid. It feels and smells just like every cheap Japanese car since 1973. Ugh.' Actually I agree about the low-rent cabin, especially the storage lid beneath my left elbow which gets statically charged in hot weather, making the hairs on my arm stand up everytime I change gear (which is very often).

But Tomalin went on. 'You have to wait weeks for the engine to get on cam... then rrraarrrp and it's hit the limiter... give me a nice big wodge of torque any day.' Well Peter, I'd like to point out that the VVTL-i unit won this year's International Engine of the Year Award for best engine in the 1.4-1.8 category, so there.

OK, it can be tiresome when it's off cam, giving little useable power under 6000rpm, but when it hits its 'sweet-spot', everything is forgiven and it has a racecar soundtrack to boot. So I find myself driving like a silly bugger most of the time, wringing the thing out. That is until I find myself going far too fast in fourth, where big revs mean silly speeds.

When you consider how it likes to be driven, it's surprising that the high revving engine has used hardly any oil since crunching up the evo drive with 129 miles under the fresh Pirellis. But with the 10,000-mile oil change just around the corner, I've already got GP51 HAA booked in for some well-earned TLC.

After spending time in some faster and more exotic cars this month I still have a soft spot for the Celica. The low-slung driving position, excellent steering, light drivetrain and short-throw gearbox all feel so right.

A weekend in West Yorkshire confirmed that the Celica has first-class handling. Possibly one of the best front-drivers around at the moment, in my book. The wonderfully grippy but adjustable chassis makes any snaking pass thoroughly enjoyable yet still manages to smooth the most pockmarked surfaces with its fine ride quality. Top off with a manic engine and fantastic noise and it's a pleasure to take the Celica out for a drive just for the hell of it. Just a shame that the brakes get rather mushy after hard use and the pedal lacks feel. They'll need attention at the service.

Although Peter Tomalin didn't like the Celica, I do - and so does Mr T's eight-year-old son, Freddie, who loved it so much that he wanted to be dropped off at the school gates in front of all his chums. So there you are Peter. The Celica is a car for kids, not oldies.