I was driving into Otley the other day when I had a flash of Deja Vu. There I was driving a Yellow 16v, M reg, one of the first ones in the country. It was September time and I'll never forget the looks as I slowed down to the traffic lights. Jaws dropping, heads turning, head scratching - "what is it" etc.

I was lucky enough to get an extended test drive from a very friendly local dealer in Leeds, even though he knew I didnt have the dosh to buy one. Well I'm in the Moon Silver 20vt [6], on the exact same stretch of road, when it suddenly occured to me: Oh my God that was 12 YEARS AGO!!!. And it was 13 years ago that I remember seeing the first coupe advert on a billboard in Paris. I was so buzzed up on that. It was all I could think about (apart from how to get off the Peripherique!).

Anyway from the stuff of dreams, to the stuff of memories, surely the coup cant be far off classic status.

I remember seeing a Kiwi magazine many years ago with a roadtest of the 16v turbo. Living in Australia at the time it was the first time I'd ever seen a coupe and I still remember how striking it looked with those sexy curves and aggressive slashes down the side. Then I completely forgot about the coupe until I moved to the UK last year (they never sold them in Aus). I can't think of another car that offers the same levels of performance, practicality and awesome looks for the money. Now I don't think I could live without my coop! As far as I'm concerned it is already a classic.