Getting in however requires some degree of contortion, especially your legs which need to be stuffed into the narrow footwells. Drivers with feet larger than size nine will also find the pedal area to be quite cramped. The finish of the seats, leather-covered dash and the transmission tunnel and floor is impressive. The Chinkara does not use any proprietary plastic parts and this is an advantage.

With a power-to-weight ratio of 118bhp per tonne, on paper at least, the Chinkara should be quick by normal saloon car standards. The carburetted engine on this prototype, currently running with only a wire mesh as an air filter, however seemed to be putting out less than its allotted quota of horses. Acceleration as a result is currently only Ikon-quick, but this will be rectified on future fuel injected models. A ‘hotter’ cam, a performance air filter and exhaust are also on the cards. It may even come with a factory-polished and prepared head from HM. Guido will also work on the other part of the power-to-weight equation — the weight. Once these are achieved, the Chinkara should have little problem attaining the performance figures claimed.

Numbers and actual performance aside, the Chinkara is a thrilling drive. You’re seated low and exposed, the ground streaking past in your peripheral vision. You can see the suspension bob and flex its joints when loaded up in a corner and feel the rush of the air against your upper body. You’re not too far from the minimalist thrill provided by a Grand Prix car of the early sixties.

Guido’s overbuilt chassis is board-stiff and feels like it will easily handle years of abuse on our roads. But though chassis flex is all but non-existent, this prototype disappointed in the grip and handling department. That direct go-kart-like steering wheel feel is missing as is the light, chuckable nature these cars are adored for. While the low polar mass means the Chinkara does not roll much, it still drives like an overloaded car that is slow to respond to inputs. This is partially due to the Maruti 800-based suspension having to deal with the substantially heavier load of the 1800cc Isuzu engine.

The brakes on this prototype also feel hopelessly under-specified. Guido is aware of these shortcomings and is upgrading the entire suspension, steering and braking system to one that’s based on the Esteem. These are tasks that will have to be completed before the car can be sent to ARAI for certification and before the Chinkara can be called complete.

An affordable sports car that’s built entirely from parts available in India — we’ll doff our helmets to that. Guido has also managed to produce a stiff chassis, plonk in a powerful engine and achieve an acceptable level of build quality — his area of expertise after all is fibreglass. However, getting the Chinkara to grip, handle and brake like a real sports car, getting it to perform in accordance with its specified potential will be no cakewalk. Yes, the Chinkara has the potential, but how much can the Bothes with their limited resources manage to extract? Can they and the Chinkara deliver enough driver appeal to justify the proposed price? We’ll keep you posted.