IT was Vauxhall - along with their German cousins Opel - who first came up with an idea which has become a success story just perfect for today's "throw-away" society.

They took the new ADAM supermini and offered a massive range of inter-changeable items, such as interior decor panels, grille bars, wing mirrors and coloured wheel clips, so buyers could personalise their car into something totally unique to their own taste.

With a large range of body colours along with contrasting ones for the car's "floating" roof, 20 different wheels of various styles and sizes, a host of printed interior roof linings including one with LED lights which gives the impression you're driving under a starry sky, glass roof, decal packages, different interior base colours, 15 seat treatments, 18 interchangeable decor panels for the dashboard and doors, ambient lighting offering eight colour settings, three specification levels in Jam, Glam and Slam and you come up with a mind-boggling number of individual combinations.

There's even an open-topped ADAM ROCKS AIR model for wind-in-your-hair driving on those nice sunny days.

Then Vauxhall hinted at more plans for the ADAM with the showing of a sporty concept at the Geneva Motor Show ... and this red-hot Grand Slam flying machine is all set to hit our streets any day now.

And what a fabulous little cracker it is. Under the bonnet sits a high-performance turbocharged 1.4-litre ECOTEC stop/start petrol engine especially developed for the car.

Pumping out 148bhp ... that's 50 per cent more power than that used on the normal 1.4-litre ADAM... it can blast the machine to 0-62mph in just 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 124mph.

The torque figure is also greatly enhanced, up a massive 70 per cent to 220Nm, so power is fed in smoothly from way low down the rev range.

And there's more, for the ADAM Grand Slam also gets a specially-tuned chassis and powerful braking system straight from the race-bred Corsa VXR.

As you would expect from a car that looks like it would be just as at home on the track than on a busy city street or motorway, the Grand Slam handles a dream.

Super quick on the uptake, it immediately lets you know it has been conceived for the more enthusiastic driver. As expected, the suspension is on the firm side, but that let's you push the little machine into even the tightest of corners at a speed most other superminis would shy away from. The steering, too, is positive and gives great feedback to the driver.

Building on the regular Slam model, the newcomer gets enhanced looks with the addition of a front lip spoiler, chunkier side moldings and a bigger rear spoiler.

Average fuel consumption is a claimed 47.8mpg and emissions are rated at 139g/km so it's keen on the tax front.

Other highlights include large 18-inch alloy wheels which help show off the Grand Slam's red brake calipers, tinted rear window, darkened headlight clusters coupled with Vauxhall's signature LED wing-shaped daytime running lights and a single chrome-tipped exhaust pipe.

On the inside, there's half leather upholstery, a leather steering wheel and sporty aluminum pedals, while Bluetooth, DAB radio, climate control and cruise control are also standard features.

Provision for Vauxhall's seven-inch infotainment touch-screen sat-nav system, which mirrors the driver's own smart phone onto the screen, is available as an option.

The Grand Slam comes in a choice of 10 body colours with an additional four colours reserved for the roof. These include the stunning Red 'n' Roll combination which is set to be one of the more popular colour schemes with buyers.

The Grand Slam will prove something of a contender to the likes of the MINI Cooper S, Abarth 500 range and even the Ford Fiesta ST and with a predicted sale of only 750 units a year, it will be pretty much as scarce as hen's teeth.

Vauxhall also look like they have got the pricing right with a starting figure of £16,995.