We don’t seem to have any hot hatches available anymore after a fantastic 80s and 90s when we were awash with them, but there is one still available that has hardly changed in its 25-year history - the Honda Civic Type R. As a throwback, here it is on my drive and, as l am not quite as young as l was when ripping the backside out of this style of cars, what to make of it?

This is an old-school front-wheel drive hot hatch with ye olde manual gearbox, and it is virtually unchanged over the last quarter of a century. Body-wise, it has changed a tad – and all for the better, as it is sleeker, more rounded, and less jagged, ASBO-styling.

Otherwise, it’s the same chassis, same engine, same gearbox, same adaptive suspension. However, they do keep fiddling with it, so the exhaust flow rate has been increased by 25%, body rigidity is up 15% and changing the bonnet from steel to aluminium accounts for a 43% weight saving. The turbo is 3% more efficient thanks to the reduction in the number of turbine blades.

This is not a car that has stayed in production by mistake; it has constantly been fiddled with to improve so many elements, and is presented with a great deal of pride by the Japanese engineers.

So, how’s the drive? It’s excellent with just a few caveats that I will come to later. The 6-speed gearbox is a total work of art and is seamless. Oddly, it has been made better by simply changing the weight of the gear knob, so now it’s 230g, and this really helps with the fast change action.

And if you drive it as it is supposed to be driven, everything is fast and furious. 62mph comes in at 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 171mph, though it all feels so much faster. It pulls really well in every gear, and each gear has really long legs once out of first. Cornering is a dream as it is remains totally flat with very little roll, and rockets out of them with tremendous stability and poise.

Its Achilles heel is driving it in the wet. Keep calm and drive sensibly, and all is fine, but if you try to put down the power, good luck, as wheel spin will greet you every time.

My car is bright red with equally bright red carpets and bright red racing-style seats that hold you in well, with significant side bolsters that grip your torso snugly and they are very comfortable. It really could do with a third rear seat for practicality, though. The interior layout is good with everything where it should be, and the boot is large for this size of car.

The Alcantara steering wheel is great, as are the seats – as mentioned – and buttons are available for comfort, sport or any individual settings required - this allows the set-up of steering, throttle, engine noise and traction control - best for the track I would suggest. The dash also offers a number to tell you what gear you are in, though the gear shift lights that scream across the top of the dash do look a tad theatrical.

Now on to the downsides. If you are over 18, you will look a tad out of place in this souped-up rocket ship with flared arches and a huge spoiler on the boot lid. Also, my car had the annoying issue of the wiper blade hitting the edge of the windscreen with a thud by the B-pillar every time it swept. As it was pouring with rain on one of my long journeys, it really started to grate - and odd for Honda as they are well known for their build quality and attention to such detail.

The worst for me was the front wheel drive scrabble and torque steer every time you try to get off the line in anger. I recall this back in the day with Golf GTis and Peugeot 205 GTis, and didn’t like it then either. Now, though, it seems so old, so yesteryear and quite annoying if trying to drive it the way you really want to. I pulled onto a roundabout knowing I could get out before the car that was approaching, but actually sat there for a few seconds waiting for the front tyres to find some grip - and it wasn’t wet.

Make this car four-wheel drive, and it would be remarkable. OK, it would be heavier, so you would sacrifice some speed, but give this thing that kind of grip, and it would give the old Audi Quattro a run for its money – and that’s saying something. This is the fastest 2WD car to ever have lapped the Suzuka circuit.

Sadly, this is the end, as Honda has just announced a new ‘Ultimate Edition’ that marks the end of sales in Europe. With only 40 units available, I am quite sure it will become a valuable collector’s item. Electric Type R, anyone? No, thank you.