Fiat’s only sporting car at the moment is the Barchetta, a concise two seater roadster offered only in left hand drive.

The marketplace potential for a RHD variant is insufficient to sustain this type of development. Neither especially quick nor exceptionally sharp, Barchetta includes a substantial group of followers due to the pretty looks nor is its ability to feel faster than it.

Power develops from a 1.8 litre engine with sufficient capacity to satisfy most drivers, and also the chassis is adequate to permit satisfactory progress on winding roads.

The name, by the way, originates from Italian for ‘little boat’ because the car emulates the feel of an upturned skiff.