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The stage near Walim is fabulous, a tight snake across steep forested hills, and the 126 tackled it with élan. This kind of hairpin-infested road is what the 126 is made for, especially with the optional short-ratio gearbox fitted to our test car - its 18kph per thousand revs in top (fourth) didn't really make much sense on fast A-roads, but here it was perfect.

The trick is to keep your momentum up at all costs, and keep the revs up with it. That's a lot of fun, because the 126 turns in with great precision and holds its line with proper determination - the 165/55 Yokohama 12-inch tyres don't want to let go, and you can adjust the tail with a little lift when the car is at the limit of adhesion.

Held tight by the racing seats, dialling in the lock with the Monte Carlo steering wheel and keeping the revs high with constant use of the quick, easy-shifting 'box, it's not hard to imagine master drivers like Andrzej embarrassing those pesky Alpines.

I'd like to say we drove the 126 all the way to Berlin, our overnight stop, in a marathon endurance run, but that would be a bare-faced lie. The short-ratio 'box meant that 60mph equalled 5,500rpm and it wasn't fair on the car. We slid the little Fiat into a truck.

Heading through Berlin the next morning, we blasted pedestrians and other motorists with deafening engine blips before parking the 126 at the Brandenburg Gate for a photo. Surely no car in the world has such a massive sound-to-size ratio, and judging by the reaction of everyone who set eyes on it, there can't be many more attractive cars in existence, either.

We did a long stint on a mostly derestricted autobahn, sitting at 60mph and dicing with trucks. As big Mercs and Audis piled past, the 126 rocked on its little wheels and I quietly dreamt of leaving the execmobiles behind on a switchback road. If you're thinking of tackling longer journeys, I'd recommend the longer-ratio 'box option, where a top speed of 90mph makes a lot more sense.

'Sense' isn't a word you'd normally associate with a rally replica, but maybe the guys at Group 2 are onto something here - this is a car that works brilliantly in the world we find ourselves in.

Tiny, nimble, charismatic, inexpensive to buy and run, and above all, a gigantic dollop of unmitigated fun - you can sit in it and flick the bird at the world. Then, when you step out, you'll turn to look at it and it feels like the first time. Every time. I have to have one. Have to.

For more info on the 126 Group 2, visit www.126Group2.com

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