I think the problem with the '81 model is that it was below the expectations of the car maker. For various reasons (that I simply can't remember at the moment), the engine ended up being a lot weaker than they wanted, and they raised the car up four or five inches too high to accomodate some sort of new road law in America.. a law that never actually got passed.
The cars that DMC sells today, what PD calls the "S2" (what DMC calls the "DMC-12"), is, in a way, what the car was supposed to be like. Lowered sports suspension for improved handling, and a more respectable 197hp (200ps) for better speed. The car was designed to be a sports car, but ended up being a Sunday Driver... now, at least, it's a sports car again. Maybe not a high-end sports car, but it's a sports car nonetheless.