Familiarity bred, well, not contempt as such, but a feeling that there was no longer a need to drive this car like it was a little delicate. And with foot further to the floor and revcounter needle further round the dial, The Spyder Elan takes on a new character, with a sharper note to the exhaust, a deeper bellow to the intake and far, far greater levels of performance. It goes from fast to faster. And much more exciting to drive. Treated like you'd treat a modern, unburstable performance car, it shines. Treated like that, every journey becomes an adventure. And I know that's a cliché

Now an Elan is a sweet handling little thing but the rear struts takes too much lateral strain, wearing them out quickly.  The Spyder chassis has the facility (utilised in this case) for extra upper wishbones, and that just adds to the tautness of the chassis.  True to Chapman's principles, the Spdyer Elan is still relatively softly sprung (although perhaps over-damped, accounting for the jittery ride), and that means when you over-commit it into a corner, or back off mid-way through, or indulge in any such misbehaviour, the car doesn't bite back.  It just understeers its way back into control.

When you push it properly through a corner, though, it remains balanced, as finely sensitive to the throttle as a road car could possibly be.  Only on really slippery roads does it take on the ability to surprise, usually through unsubtle use of right foot.

Curiously, stupidly even, I'd expect the Frontline Frogeye to feel similar. Why?  Really, why should it when the Frogeye was always a far less sophisticated design, older and cheaper than the Elan?  And, just as crucially in this case, the Frogeye is far more extensively modified, carrying an astonishing 318% more than the original's 43bhp.  Tim has used all the tricks up his Frontline sleeve to produce a car that is as potent-but-usable as a Frogeye can be, and the result is entertaining in the extreme.  Early on, Tim demonstrates that it will wheelspin in third at high speed, and the scene is set...

His K-series conversion is well-established, and clever with it.  The engine and gearbox slots straight into the engine bay without any cutting required, except for the need to move the heater box back by a couple on inches.  A stock 1.8 litre K-series will typically produce around 135bhp, but a performance camshaft and a programmable ECU will bump that up to 160.  For the 180bhp that the Frogeye is pushing out, the Piper 285 camshaft and Emerald ECU are supplemented by throttle bodies.  The bottom end can remain stock at this output and the engine remains reliable as long as the cooling is up to scratch.

So, like the Elan, the Frogeye happily sits at a smooth idle without a twitch from the temperature gauge.  It's much noisier, rortier, than the Elan and it's clear from the start that this is a more focussed machine; close to a track day special and as extreme as can be for road use.

There's very little inside, just a cage, a couple of bucket seats and the most basic of switchgear.  The gearlever is cranked forward, the only clumsy touch of the conversion, but it slips into gear as neatly as can be, and then it's time to let the clutch up and feel this baby pull.  Gee does it pull, it pulls the tiny car forward so quickly, and more effortlessly than the Zetec in the Elan - but then the Elan is over 200kg heavier.

Frontline Frogeye

Engine

1796cc, four-cyl, 16v, DOHC, throttle bodies, Emerald ECU

Power

189bhp @6850rpm

Torque

153lb ft @ 4850rpm

Transmission

Five-speed manual

Suspension

Front: upper and lower wishbones; Rear: live axle, four-link location system. Coilover dampers all-round

Brakes

Discs all-round

Weight

640kg (1411lb)

Performance

0-60mph 5 sec Top speed 130mph

Value

£20,000