CONJURING up a spiritual successor to some modern classics was never going to be easy when Toyota set about making a comeback in the sports car world.

In the past 50 years the Japanese car maker has delivered some greats including the Sports 800, the legendary 2000 GT, the high performance Supra and the MR2 roadster.

But since the brand killed off the Celica six years ago there has been no sporty Toyota - until now.

Come July Toyota is bursting back on to the scene with an immaculately styled 2+2 that is exploding with fun.

The GT86 has been developed in conjunction with Subaru which will be calling its version the BRZ and the car uses the famous flat four boxer engine which shot to prominence in the Scooby rally cars of the 1990s.

The benefit of the horizontal cylinder arrangement in the boxer set up is a low centre of gravity - a feature the GT86 engineers were keen to exploit.

In sports car terms the GT86 is as pure as they come. It is rear wheel drive, front engined and normally aspirated - for the time being anyway. A turbo and an all-wheel-drive version could be developed such is the flexibility of the GT86's underpinnings.

And for those wondering where the 86 in the name comes from it is the size of the engine's bore and stroke - 86 millimetres just like those of the MR2.

The 86 logo on the front wings and tailgate is designed to symbolise drifting while under the bonnet you'll find both Toyota and Subaru names on the engine.

The car sits on ordinary tyres in 17-inch alloys, weighs just 1.2 tonnes and can be had either with a six speed manual gearbox for £24,995 or a rapid-fire auto at £26,495.

With competition such as the Mazda MX-5, the VW Scirocco and the Hyundai Veloster that price makes the Toyota highly competitive.

Realistically the GT86 and its Subaru stablemate have something of a clear field and it is good enough to rival the likes of the Nissan 370Z, the Audi TT and even the Porsche Cayman - all of which are considerably more expensive.

And when it comes to driver enjoyment the GT86 delivers in no uncertain terms. There is a lot about this car which puts a smile on your face.

The front wing haunches are a flashback to the 2000 GT of 1967, the chunky rear and its two large exhaust nacelles - also 86mm in diameter - are contemporary while the aerodynamics are state of the art with a tailgate spoiler, a sculpted roof and canard side fins.

They hold the GT86 in a slipstream sandwich and the grip the car generates is exceptional.

The emphasis is very much on handling rather than straight line performance. The two-litre engine is a Subaru creation fitted with Toyota injectors enabling it to pump out 197bhp.

Such power is incredibly high for a non-boosted engine and results in a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 7.7 seconds and top speed of 140mph for the manual model. The auto, although sophisticated and effective, is not quite as quick at 8.4 seconds topping out at 130mph.

However it is more economical, capable of averaging almost 40 to the gallon with emissions of 164g/km. The manual has official figures of 36.2mpg and 181g/km.

Achieving anything like that is going to be unlikely since the GT86 craves to be pushed hard but nevertheless on our drive, which was enthusiastic, we managed to clock up 32.8mpg overall on the onboard computer.

The engine redlines at 7,450 rpm and does not really come alive until it's beyond 4,500 revs.

On the road the GT86 is neat through corners but you have to make the gearbox work.

The engine noise inside the cockpit has been artificially enhanced and although loud it is a little monotone. A little more variation in the soundtrack would make it feel more engaging.

The auto box - similar to that used in the Lexus IS-F - produces a little more character, blipping the revs on the down change.

Inside, the GT86 is as cosy as a sports car should be and that helps the driver feel at one with the car. Intimacy is essential in a car like this and the feel from the controls is precise and communicative. In fact you sit lower in the GT86 than you do in a Cayman.

Even the drilled aluminium pedals and the short throw gear lever feel rewarding although there is a little overkill in the amount of carbon fibre effect trim.

Leather trim, nicely stitched in red, adds an extra £1,600 to the price and the dash includes Toyota's full colour display screen as standard. Sat nav costs a further £750.

There is a nice touch to the instruments with the speedo calibrated up to very high numbers while the needle sits at the five o'clock position when zeroed.

A digital speed readout is included in the rev counter - and that's easier to read when you are putting the car through its paces - while creature comforts included cruise control and dual zone air conditioning.

However, you can forget the rear seats for anything other than extra storage. Leg room in the back is almost non-existent but the rear seats can be folded flat to create a little more space than you will find in the boot where three good sized bags will fill it.

Stability and traction controls are part of the safety systems but can be disengaged if you want to experience the raw feel of this finely honed coupe.

That's best experienced on the track where we had the chance to sample the GT86 at its limits.

With a weight distribution of 53/47 front to rear the car is nicely balanced, the rear drifting slightly at times but never unpredictably such is the agility.

It is great fun to drive and for the money it is certainly inspiring.

Toyota may have been out of sports cars for a while but with this car they are back with a gem that's good enough to satisfy the enthusiasts and purists alike.