THE sports car market is enjoying a great revival in the UK and there is growing demand for the "two plus two" - a car capable of seating two adults with a small space in the rear for children or adults who don't mind being uncomfortable on a long journey!

Therre are many coupes, three-door versions of small hatchbacks which will fill this criteria though they cannot be considered true sports cars in the way that the Alfa Romeo GTV can.

This looks every bit a true sports car, designed from a blank sheet of paper, not converted from any hatchback or saloon model.

The Italian comapny has a long sprting pedigree and something of a chequered history but these days is enjoying a real boost in iomage thanks to excellent build quality and gret styling flair.

The GTV - there's a cabriolet version called the Spider - is a real head turner. In particular its front end styling with tiny twin headlights and large heart shaped Alfa grille give it a stunning visual potency. The car is not quite so pretty from the rear with the high tail looking in my view just a trifle bulky.

But once you're in the car and driving it, you will certainly forgive it anything, for it is an absolutely sensational driving experience.

You seldom encounter such poise and dynamic driving capability in a car of this class and comparatively low price. The GTV is just £21,000 on-the-road and that shouts out good value for you'd have to move up to a much higher price level, dominated by the likes of Jaguar for instance, to get a sports car that attracts quite so much attention and delivers such good driving feel.

Under the bonnet is a 2-litre 150 bhp 16-valve twin spark engine, offering a top speed of 134 mph and a cracking 0-60 mph time of just 8.4 seconds. It can also return up to 40 mpg.

The fascia of the interior has a slightly retro-style with not only twin dials for speedometer and rev counter, but a cluster of small dials and switches in the centre console. It has a good driving position with comfortable very supportive seats. Visability both front and rear is limited by the way the car slopes away so you do have to be careful when parking.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.