Sounds like my old mk1 eunos. Definitely not that quick but you could thrash it around with all the fun noises and still not be too close to going too fast to lose your license. Miss that car a lot.
Indeed, I don't commute often, but the 15 mins or so from the house is a bunch of mountainside driving which is a great way to start/end the workday. I can't think of a car I'd rather be doing it in (maybe a Caterham, but I'd be leaving skidmarks in my seat as well as the road if it was raining)
"It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow"
I'd love an ND MX-5, but it's definitely not driven by the additional 20-50bhp over my NB. Small & light is the way to go as far I'm concerned.