Fresh Mint: A 151mph VW Polo R

Until now, the hottest VW Polo you could get was the 178bhp GTI. It's a tidy little motor, but not exactly a rocket. Which could lead you to make some interesting lifestyle choices.

Hmmm. Want more butch? The Polo R WRC should cheer you up then.

Okay, good news first. This bodykitted Polo is inspired by VW's new rally car, and gets a massive 217bhp pumped through the front wheels thanks to a 2.0-litre turbo engine. Into the bin goes the GTI's paddleshift DSG gearbox, and a six-speed manual takes it place.

Use it brutally enough and you'll hit 62mph from rest in 6.4seconds, and top out at 151mph, just 4mph behind the killjoy limiters that spoil fun in BMW M5s, Mercedes AMGs and mostAudi RS cars.

You get a sexed-up bodykit with an angry face and big-ass, er, ass (okay, diffuser), and 18-inch rims wearing low-profile 215-section rubber. The brakes are bigger, and ramming the point home that you've got the fastest Polo ever is a rally car-inspired paint job. Inside, there's Alcantara trim and racing pedals. Or, to give them their proper name, 'Cool-Looking-But-Really-Slippy-When-Wet' metal pedals.

Expecting a catch, a but, a sting in the tail? Yep, you're damn right. Only 2500 Polo R WRCs will be built, and all will be left-hand drive, much like the Audi A1 quattro. Deliveries don't start until 2013, it probably won't be officially imported to Britain, and there's a big bill too. €34,000 if you're on the continent, which works out at £27,000 here. And you can get a lot more car for less wonga...

Still, if you want to spend nearly thirty grand on a German hot hatch, Team CT can point you in the right direction.