TVR used to be a very small company that made typical British sports cars - in Blackpool, Lancashire, of all places. They followed the same formula as all the other constructors: lightweight fiberglass body on a great-handling chassis and a lightly-tuned straight-4 to provide the power. AC broke away from the norm when Carroll Shelby squeezed an enormous American V8 into their Ace to create the Cobra and that gave everyone the same idea - why not do the same for other Brit sports cars?

It was tried with a variety of cars and TVR were no exception, but nothing earth-shattering was created until the eighties, when the company was bought by Peter Wheeler, a millionaire with big ideas. He wanted to make TVR into a “serious” sports car manufacturer.

The result was a series of models that multiplied to the point of confusion. They all had one thing in common, however - they were ridiculously overpowered and a handful to drive as a result. Until the Sagaris of 2004, that is.

The styling is very TVR, aggressive and slightly over the top, but at last the company had produced a car that could handle the power delivered by its 4 liter straight-6. And the result was a car as desirable as any of the great Italian supercars at a fraction of the price.

Well, Jeremy Clarkson seems to think so, anyway…

Back in the nineties, Sony released the PlayStation game that changed console racing games forever: Gran Turismo. It was spectacular in its realism, with detailed graphics and seemingly true-to-life handling of the numerous cars it was possible to sample. But then, in 1999, they released the follow-up, GT 2, and we were introduced to real tracks to play on.

Very quickly one track became the favorite, the mighty Laguna Seca, and it did so by virtue of one corner - the Corkscrew. A sharp left after a rising blind crest, a drop down at an impossible angle and a swooping right, that was the Corkscrew; it tested games players to the limit, especially when driving one of the ridiculously powerful cars included in the game. I am still proud of the fact that I did eventually learn how to get the Toyota Le Mans car through the Corkscrew without careering off for a meeting with the barriers.

But what is it like in reality? How does the game compare when you are in a powerful car attempting a quick lap at Laguna Seca?

Thanks to Top Gear and YouTube, we can find out. Have a look at this clip - Jeremy Clarkson trying to get a Honda NSX within reach of a respectable lap time.

I love Alfa Romeos. Of course, it’s easy for me to say that, never having owned one. But, even though I know all the reasons not to buy an Alfa, if given the chance, I would be severely tempted. Alfas are more than cars, they are works of art.

And the best of them is the Alfa 166, a car so pretty that most of us would give in before even sitting in it. Jeremy Clarkson tried one for Top Gear and I am happy to report that he understands about Alfas. He has even worked out a way that you can buy one without worrying about the huge depreciation they suffer from. If you live in the UK, that is.

Have a look.