I HATE the way some cars instantly make you feel old.

The Corsa VXR embodies everything that attracted me to large motorcycles in my teens - superb handling, a light, precise feel, coupled with an excellent ride and looks to die for.

Those bikes also offered more muscle than you could ever safely use and probably more than you would ever desire.

The power prowling under the bonnet of this Corsa is similarly self-indulgent. The bare statistics - 192 horsepower, 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds - do little to prepare you for the neck-snapping potential that lurks, ready to catch out the unwary who stomp hard on the accelerator pedal.

This little 1.6-litre, turbocharged car is all about lightness of touch. Get it right and progress is swift, smooth, effortless and exhilarating.

Treat it with a heavy hand and it will bite you good and hard. If you get away with simply scaring yourself witless, you can count yourself extremely fortunate.

Split-second timing and lightning-fast reactions are, of course, the stuff of youth, which is why getting behind the wheel of any VXR model immediately brings home the march of time.

Where I would once have drooled longingly over the 17-inch alloy wheels, spacecraft-like styling of the shell-backed' Recaro sports seats and the piano black door inserts, fascia and centre console, now I am more impressed that it has a decent CD player and can manage 35 miles per gallon.

All the impressive styling toys have been taken out of the box and slotted on to this car to make it truly special. Door mirrors, foglamp surrounds and exhaust pipe all have the VXR trademark triangular shaping and aggressive front and rear bumpers top and tail a bodystyling kit that includes deep side skirts and roof spoiler.

Inside, a racecar-styled flat-bottomed steering wheel carries VXR badging, which also pops up on instruments and gearlever.

Specially-designed airbags were lifted straight from the Lamborghini Gallardo supercar to fit inside the racy interior.

So while this would be a dream car for a younger driver, it is probably going to stay that way.

If the £15,000+ price tag does not prove a hopeless obstacle to ownership, the group 16 insurance rating probably will.

And that might not be such a bad thing, because like combining 1000cc motorcycles and young heads in the late Seventies, the union of a VXR badge and a newly-qualified driver could prove a potent and possibly perilous mix. But born-again ex-bikers will love it.

Auto facts Vauxhall Corsa VXR

  • Price: £15,625
  • Ins group: 16
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 35.8mpg
  • Top speed: 140mph
  • Length: 399.9cm/x157.4in
  • Width: 171.3cm/67.4in
  • Luggage capacity: 10 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 9.9 gallons/45 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 190g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles

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