MY first encounter with the world of Chevrolet was back in 1959 when two brothers in the motor trade shocked our neighbourhood by parking matching Chevrolet Impalas on their driveway.
The 1958 Impala was the very essence of an American sedan - shining chromework, striking tailfins and more lights than Blackpool Illuminations. It was also a far cry from the Lacetti Sport.
Today, Chevy in the UK represents parent company General Motors' aim to finally lay to rest the spectre of Daewoo, by rebranding and introducing a completely new image courtesy of the Chevrolet badge.
GM's grand plan is to eventually distance itself from just rebadging old Daewoo favourites such as the Kalos and Tacuma - and there are already a number of Chevrolet-designed models on the drawing board, including a new Matiz and a stylish Sports Utility Vehicle.
For the moment, the Chevy chase involves making the best out of the existing range and the Lacetti five-door hatchback, launched last year by Daewoo under GM ownership, has been joined by two new stablemates, the Sport and Station Wagon models having been designed to lead the way for this new venture.
Lacetti Sport Hatch is now the designated flagship of this particular Chevrolet range, coming decked out in an eyecatching full body kit complete with sports-style grille with mesh intake, deep side skirts, sports exhaust and a tailgate spoiler, all combining to provide a quite dynamic appearance.
In addition to the full sport body kit, this Lacetti is also generously equipped for its under £12,000 price tag, coming with power steering, remote central locking, air con, electric windows all round, powered and heated door mirrors, tinted glass and a quartet of airbags.
There are a number of places on board in which to stow things including a cool box compartment in the glovebox and a useful storage tray beneath the front passenger seat.
However, while the six-speaker Blaupunkt sound system includes a single CD player and gets steering wheel controls, a relic of the past still remains in a radio front which has to be removed when leaving the car unattended.
Lacetti is a family hatchback providing a practical, roomy interior where head, shoulder and legroom are generous in all parts and, while the luggage bay is perhaps not quite as roomy as some members of the competition, the boot is accommodating with a low loading lip.
There is sufficient height adjustment to the driver's seat and rake and reach in the steering column to provide an agreeable driving position to suit most people facing a neatly laid-out dashboard and centre console, around which the designers have made quite merry with the .
The two-tone leather trimmed seating adds a touch of class and is comfortably supportive and, while unique floor mats feature a Sport logo, drilled aluminium-type pedals add their contribution to the sporty feel of the cabin.
With its lowered suspension and mounted on 16-inch alloys, Lacetti Sport looks the business on the tarmac. While not searingly quick in GTi fashion, the 1.8-litre petrol engine does its job in spritely fashion.
Although not the most refined of power sources when under pressure, the 122bhp 16-valver is capable of the 0-62mph dash in under 10 seconds, en route to a top speed of 120mph, while returning a reasonable mpg of just under 40 over the combined driving cycle.
Lacetti Sport grips the tarmac well, handles tidily while there's also traction control and ABS braking on hand.
While perhaps not quite the sports performer its name would suggest, the neat Giugiaro-designed Lacetti Sport is a good package for the.
FAST FACTS
Chevrolet Lacetti 1.8 Sport
Price: £11,995
Mechanical: 122bhp, 1,799cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 120mph
0-62mph: 9.5 secs
Combined mpg: 37.7
Insurance group: 9
CO2 emissions: 183g/km
BiK rating: 23%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 5yrs paint; 6yrs anti-rust