THE MG TF is back - and back with a vengeance.
While it might look the same the new car is sharper, more dynamic and certainly better value for money than when it was last in production in 2005.
I have just sampled one of the first of the new models built by Chinese owned MG UK at Longbridge more than three years after the last one rolled off the MG Rover production line on the same site.
And while its like visiting an old friend you soon realise its an old friend that has grown up somewhat.
A lot of that is because MG UK has recruited people who used to work on the MG TF under MG Rover and know the product inside out.
They have gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that if there were any problems with the car in the past they have been corrected on the new model which goes on sale in September.
Men like Tony Wells who spent 11 years as an off-track engineer checking the quality of the finished product at Longbridge in Birmingham before the MG Rover factorys closure.
He, like so many others working at MG UK, has returned to Longbridge after a spell with Bentley - lured by the prospect of working on MGs yet again.
After working on this car for so long I know the problems that regularly cropped up for warranty work in the past and these are the things we have addressed so this car is so much better than its predecessor, he said.
And better it certainly feels. As soon as you get behind the wheel you soon realise the whole car feels sharper, and more responsive.
Touch the accelerator on the 1.8-litre, 135 bhp model and there is a more instant response from the N-Series engine, an upgraded version of the K-Series unit in the old model which meets the latest European emission rules.
The gear ratios on the five speed box are just about right for the car but you have to really wind up the revs to get the best performance out of the engine which redlines at 7,000 - at which point the throaty exhaust note really does make the hairs on the back of your neck stand upright.
It will hit 62 mph in 8.3 seconds and go on to a claimed top speed of 135 mph.
Tweaks to the running gear and suspension have left the new model feeling better on the road too. As a mid-engined car the original MGF and MG TF had superb road holding but the rejuvenated TF has managed to take that to a new level, although the suspension is pretty firm and on some roads you feel every bump.
But if this car goes better it also stops better thanks to new sporting brakes with four-pot callipers - finished in red.
Because of the location of the engine the MG TF was always a relatively noisy car and that hasnt changed. But MG buyers probably wouldnt have wanted it to.
Its all part of the iconic British sports car experience which offers the thrill of seat of the pants driving.
The car has retained its easy operational hood which can be lowered with just one hand in seconds - and replaced just as quickly if typical British weather catches you out.
But on the LE500, the limited edition run of 500 models which are being built first, you get a wind deflector as standard so topless driving can be done in comfort.
The deflector is just one of the many extras that come as part of the package on this car for the all-in price of s16,399, a similar price to what the old car sold at in 2005.
Other features include a body-coloured hard top for winter motoring, full leather upholstery and reversing sensors.
In fact the company clams that if the old MG TF was specked up to the same standard as the LE500 it would have had a s24,000 price tag.
The price of an entry level model will soon be announced and could well be below s15,000.
Inside the layout is similar to the original but there are new dials and the centre console now comes in an up-market piano black finish with similar inserts in the doors.
A nice touch are LEDs housed in the underside of the rear view mirror which give a nice ambient light inside the car but some of the switches - which were on the previous MG TF - now look a little dated.
Externally, the main difference is the nose. The twin louvred grille has been replaced by a sporty honeycomb mesh which sets it off nicely.
Its easy to see the appeal of the MG TF. I remember the thrill of driving one of the first MGFs (the TFs predecessor) on fast country roads when the car was launched in 1995.
At the time it was praised as a car worthy to wear the prestigious octagonal MG badge and carry on the heritage of the marque.
The same can be said of the new MG TF, but it has to be remembered that this is a car whose shape has changed little in 13 years.
Its gone back to the future and it remains to be seen whether the name MG will override the styling of a previous generation of designers when the automotive industry has changed so dramatically.