The best cheap coupes manage to transcend their prices and give off
the aroma of the exotic. They're stylish, impractical and selfish, just
like proper sports cars. But underneath, they share most things with
family hatches - which means we can realistically think of owning one,
and do it in the earlier rather than later stages of its descent from
showroom fresh to classified-ad tatty.

But, sadly, it's a kind of car that comes and goes. Ford gave us the
Capri and then the Puma, with a big gap in between and absence since.
Fiat and Alfa have serially drifted in and out of the market, and
they're out at the moment. Honda, too. We all like the idea of a little
coupe, but, time and again over history, too few of us have been
prepared to stick our hands in our pockets for one, so it generally
isn't worth any manufacturer sticking around for long. But they keep
nibbling away at the idea, trying to find a formula that works.

Words: Paul Horrell
Pics: Ripley & Ripley