THE two seater sports car was always a British tradition and following the demise of some of the most popular home-built models, Fiat drove in with a neat little number called the Barchetta, roughly translated into 'little boat'.

Produced from 1995 to 2005 with a lapse from 2002 and 2004, this modern classic filled the gap left by the demise of cars like the MG Midget and Triumph Spitfire .

Development began in 1990 and the car was designed by Andreas Zapatinas and Alessandro Cavazza under the supervision of Peter Barrett Davis and the gurus at Fiat Centro Stile.

The result was a smooth little roadster based on the chassis of the Mark 1 Fiat Punto. Under the bonnet was a 1,747cc four-cylinder DOHC petrol engine fitted with variable camshaft timing, a first for Fiat.

The engine output was 132ps and featured a healthy degree of torque, making the Barchetta a treat to drive.

The hiccup in production was due to the bankruptcy of coachbuilder Maggiore which carried out final assembly of the car.

But such was the demand for the Barchetta that Fiat relocated it to its Mirafiore plant and resumed production two years later. Around 57,700 cars were built up to 2005.

One of the best features of the Barchetta was its light weight of 2,328lb, helping it to attain 124mph with a 0-62mph sprint factor of 8.9 seconds.

There were various trim options offered including leather seats alloy wheels and fog lights.

The Barchetta changed little up to 2002 but modern touches were creeping in including the addition of a third brake light in the centre of the bootlid.

In 2003 for its relaunch changes included a revised front revised front spoiler and rear bumper.

There was only one problem and that was the fact the the Barchetta was only produced in left hand drive, even though the UK was one of its main export markets.

Had the Barchetta been so produced, sales in Britain could have been much more healthy.