Past the burning stubble fields, filling the car with black smuts, past the broken-down caravan-towing Princess. Onto the motorway where we eventually get caught up in the tailback caused by the suitcases strewn across the road from the roof rack of the old Granada.

There we sat burning from the sun through the tintless windows. The black vinyl seats melting and burning our legs. Even with the windows wound down there was no relief from the heat.

The memories of that day in Dad's Lotus Cortina came flooding back to me just this month whilst sitting at a standstill on the usual route home. As then, I was sweltering from the sun beating into the car, no air coming in from the open windows. The only difference between then and now was the extra carcinogenic fumes, the lack of steaming engines, and no black vinyl seats.

The Cup is not too dissimilar from being a latter day version of the Lotus. Both relatively cheap for the performance, both ready for the track as well as the road and both with no air conditioning.

This lack of air con has not been the sole reason for the lack of miles clocked up by the Clio this month. Whilst on a journey to collect another car, I felt the clutch letting go - not unexpected given all the engine-braking needed to compensate for last month's lack of brakes and the continuous hard driving the car's had in its life. No surprise, then, that it packed up, but what followed was.

The Cup just made it to Camden Motors, Northampton, where we explained the problem. The unfortunate evo staffer who took it in then had to wait for two hours before being told that it was indeed the clutch that had gone. Despite knowing it was in no fit state to be driven, Camden then asked if it could it be brought back later.

Needless to say the car was left there, and collected a week later, after several phone calls from our end. The good news was that the repair was covered under warranty, saving us ΂£139.24.

So now the Clio is back to full strength again. And so is my guilt at not driving it - by my own own admission I'm turning soft and need air conditioning - which has been made worse still by seeing more and more Cups being driven on the road and at trackdays.

Will the Clio Cup ever become a classic like my Dad's old Lotus Cortina? It's only a matter of time.