There's a narrow stone bridge crossing the River Hodder that always causes a wave of anticipation every time I traverse it. Up until now, the preceding roads have flowed and entertained, but the Hodder marks the point where things get serious - where real questions start getting asked of a car's chassis.

Immediately exiting the narrow stone bridge comes a ninety left that climbs sharply before cresting into an undulating, military march. Left-right, left-right, the car hooking into the rolling camber as if diving down a toboggan run. A right that can be taken faster than the eyes permit comes next before a short straight, then it’s hard on the brakes as another ninety left bookends the short, frantic section. It's a tight, tree-lined nugget of a road that leaves no margin for error. Only the best cars survive unflustered.

There hasn’t been the room or need to exceed the limit of grip, and as the road briefly turns single track I ease off, convinced nothing could have entertained as much as this punchy little hot hatch. It’s a reminder that shoehorning a lot of go into a small package remains a compelling recipe, one that stands tall at any price point. The British Isles just seems to suit a compact performance car unlike any other realm, and the roads through the Forest of Bowland area of outstanding national beauty feel tailored to fit. The fells and moors of East Lancashire might sit in the shadow of its Lake District and Yorkshire Dales neighbours, but that just means the National Parks hoover up all the tourists, leaving the roads blissfully free of traffic. It was across this ground TVR developed its famed Blackpool Bruisers.

More time here is spent on a balanced throttle than at full chat, and more time is spent carving a line through the twists and turns than dealing with torque steer, a property noted only by its absence. The Abarth may only have a dinky 1.4-litre turbocharged inline-four, but it punches above its weight, with a strong spread of torque before peak power of 145 bhp arrives at 5,500 rpm. It’s enough for a 0-60 dash of 7.8 seconds with a clean launch, but the roll-on performance feels stronger, no doubt enhanced by the raucous Monza exhaust, Fiat's lax attitude to the likes of NVH and the proximity to the dry stone walls. That mid-range torque comes in handy squirting between the bends, as you’ll need to lean on it if you have any intentions of making serious progress.

It certainly distracts from the lofty driving position. As stylish as the Scorpion embossed seats appear I’m sitting far too high