Fearing further hidden carnage, we delivered the baby Ford into the clutches of CD Bramall of Bedford, explaining that we believed there could be suspension damage. Later Bramall confirmed that its engineers thought the rear axle was bent - then fix it, we said.

Three days later we got the call to say the car was ready, but after it was returned to Evo Towers we discovered that the previously sweet-handling Sportka drove like it was in a crosswind, pulling one way under acceleration, diving the other when you lifted off the power. Gawd knows what Bramall had done, but it was neither what we'd asked it to do, or what we'd been invoiced for.

As we love the way this feisty little car drives, we decided to return it to Ford for proper inspection; perhaps we should have returned it to Bramall, but the distrust was too intense. In the press garage, Paul Wilson and his merry men discovered that not only was the back axle still crooked (you only had to look at the amount of positive camber on the nearside back wheel to see that), but the nearside front strut was also a decidedly non-standard shape. Plus, there was a crease in the fuel tank.

Which rather leads us to think that all Bramall actually did was stick on a couple of new wheels and tyres. Had anyone there with the slightest savvy taken our car out for a road test, or even a tootle around the block, they should have noticed that something was seriously awry.

But the Sportka is now returned to full health and has settled back into its natural rhythm of 90mph just about everywhere - the next few months should be fun. It's going to be in sharp contrast to the Elise I've just stepped out of but I'm relishing the prospect.