The Smart Roadster has pride of place on this list, being the cheapest two-seater rag-top on offer at £11,995 along with the Fiat Barchetta. If you want one, you’d better hurry because production has been ended, although there are reports it might be extended for British buyers because of its popularity here.

The Fiat Barchetta (£11,995) looks like great value for money. Unfortunately, it is only available with left-hand drive.

The Daihatsu Copen  costs £13,495, and given that this is a weird looking, girlie little thing, that doesn’t seem very cheap to me. You may never have heard of the Japanese manufacturer Daihatsu, but it is a Toyota subsidiary, so expect its products never to break down.

Toyota MR2 (£17,150) – this is a mid-engined two-seater which goes like the wind. The designers though forgot to include a proper boot, so storage space for the weekend getaway is non-existent.

Pontiac Solstice  - this is America’s answer to the Mazda MX-5, with a front-engine, rear drive layout. Drop-dead gorgeous in my opinion, the car is unlikely to be exported to Europe. However, Germany’s Opel, also, like Pontiac, owned by General Motors, unveiled the Opel GT (£20,000) at the Geneva Car Show in March and this is based on the Solstice.

Honda S2000 (£26,800) – now we’re getting to the more serious beasts. The Honda 2000 goes like a train, with a much acclaimed engine, although with the high-revving motor, this entails much changing of gears if you want to get the most out of it.

BMW Z4

Chrysler Crossfire

Mercedes SLK

Porsche Boxster