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shiny door sills but not the power. The Mercedes AMG Line and the Audi S Line are classic examples.

They’ve got a fancy name but they’ve got as much to do with an AMG or a proper S-badged car as a pedal cycle has to a Kawasaki.

Missile

BMW have tried it with the M-Sport range. They’re about as close to a real BMW with just the letter M as a firework to a Saturn missile.

The GT Line, though, is a bit different. The 108’s standard Toyota-built 999cc three-cylinder engine has been replaced by another three-cylinder unit, the excellent 1.2-litre found in a larger Peugeot 2008. Don’t get too excited, though. While the 2008 motor pushes out 110hp, the one in the GT Line is only good for 82hp. Still, it’s 20% more than the 68hp 999cc engine and it really makes a difference.

While the normal 108 makes ironing your underpants sound exciting, the GT Line is so much more powerful it takes you by surprise. The figures may not sound breathtaking but top speed is up from 99 to 106mph and the difference once you get this baby buggy moving is shocking.

I have to say that as a small car fan with three original Minis in his back catalogue it’s been a week of joy for me. I’ve been tearing around in the GT Line, surprising other motorists with its excellent handling and ability to shoot off from 70mph and get to three figures with unexpected ease. Yep, I’ve really enjoyed it.

However the GT Line isn’t just about speed and handling, after all you can get the bigger engine in three other top spec 108s and it’s worth it.

Impressive

The GT Line also has an impressive amount of kit and trim. And so it should have as it’s nearly five grand more than the starter 999cc model, called the Access, available only as what manufacturers optimistically call a “three door”.

Main prizes in the GT Line include satellite navigation, climate control and black leather sports seats, none of which you’ll find in Allure, Active and Access models.

Add to sporty features like 15-inch, 10-spoke alloys with bright red inserts, lots of piano black and racy red trim, which Peugeot call “Laser Red Interior Ambience”, a sporty exhaust, darkened rear windows and a lane departure and brake warning system which is so loud and unnecessary it scares the hell out of you, and you see how the price builds up.

Fair enough the “speed kills” bores wouldn’t go anywhere near a car like the 108 GT Line because, even if it’s not fast and furious, it looks ever so slightly like it might just be fun.

Fun? We can’t allow that in a car, can we.