Forgotten hot hatches...

[markjay]

yer good cars the turbo version was all French cars are a bit of an electrical nightmare though

FTFY

 

[Darrell]

i also had a renault 5 GT turbo was ok but the boost lasted about 2 seconds .
an escort RS turbo that had been uprated torque steered like mad .
an A reg golf gti campaing , nice car i assume thats why it got stolen ))
a 205 D turbo not exactly a hot hatch but went well .

I had 2 of your 4.
I’m surprised the RS never got pinched. Mine did, followed by the RS500 Cossie that replaced it.

 

[Ted]

I had a 1986 XR2 and a few years later a MkII Suzuki Swift GTi.

What I really wanted was a 2.8i Capri Special. I couldn't afford to insure one back then.

I had a friend who was a well respected Formula Ford racing driver. Turned up at his place and he had a brand new 2.8 Capri. Gorgeous it was. I asked him how it went and he said it was going back. It did everything well but just wasn’t as much fun as his Golf GTI (so he got another one)

Another forgotten hot hatch. The VW Corrado. Known as one of the best handling fwd cars in it's day. Owned a 1990 1.8 16V model. Cracking engine.

I had exactly that model. J473 TOB, absolutely loved the car. I drove it to Saxa Vord to do a job (bet you need to look that one up!)
On the way back I drove it from Aberdeen to Inverness, then down to Coventry.
In an afternoon.
(that is I sat off after midday and arrived home before midnight)
I really really loved that car.

 

[StMarks]

Would the little Honda CRX I had be a contender for this thread.?
She was a little pocket rocket. 1.6 engine, 16v dohc that revved like a 2 stroke motorcycle & pulled like a train.
Tiny body that weighed twice as much as a packet of crisps, and handling that was like it was on rails.
Oh, and it did have a hatchback, which belied the car's miniture scale by seeming impressively capacious.

 

[rockits]

Would the little Honda CRX I had be a contender for this thread.?
She was a little pocket rocket. 1.6 engine, 16v dohc that revved like a 2 stroke motorcycle & pulled like a train.
Tiny body that weighed twice as much as a packet of crisps, and handling that was like it was on rails.
Oh, and it did have a hatchback, which belied the car's miniture scale by seeming impressively capacious.

I had a CRX VTEC 1.6 transtop. Cracking crazy high revving engine. Great fun. Also a MK1 MR2 Targa or T Top or whatever they were called. Not sure they are hatches but great fun nonetheless.

Also had a. Clio 16v that scared me so much I had to sell it. Felt like it was going to fall apart over 60

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

''It deserved better. The Nissan Almera GTi was one of the most underrated hot hatches of the era, offering sharp handling, precise steering and a complete absence of torque-steer. Few four-cylinder engines were as sweet as the Primera eGT-derived 2.0-litre 16-valve unit.''

How many here actually drove one?

I probably drove more Almera GTi than I saw on the road being driven by someone else. At the time I very regularly used hire cars for business travel and the rental company used to park the car on the road and push the keys through the letterbox.

It was a real lucky dip, but for a while I regularly got interesting Nissans - I assume the unpopular spicy models were shifted at favourable rates through the rental company - because the average Nissan buyer in the UK had no interest in them

I had quite a few Almera GTi and they were head & shoulders above other hire cars. I also had several “chameleon” coloured “Chromaflair” quick Primeras around the same time. It didn’t last long, I suspect Nissan UK changed their forecasts!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

In an Autocar group test at the time the Almera was only bested by the Peugeot (306?) of the day and only really because it had the novelty of a six speed transmission. And a price tag heftier by a couple of thousand.

I would say the Almera was the better car, certainly the build quality was better, it was surprisingly solid for a car in the class at that time. Being an oddball choice also gave it a little more character than you would expect of a compact Nissan hatch.

I never had a 306 GTi hire car (but did drive one) - I had a few 306 XSi and 306 D, which were sweet enough for warm hatches but way behind the GTi 6 in outright pace. The 306 D was much loved at the time but I think that was the novelty of having a quick-ish diesel rather than actual ability.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Am I odd in never owning a hot hatch? In my youth I was driving V6 Granada's and V8 SD1's.......

I had a few warm hatches but I can’t remember owning a properly hot hatch. When I was ready to buy a hot hatch I found that more exotic cars could be insured for the same - or less - so I skipped over them completely.

Perhaps the closest I ever got was an Astra Coupe Turbo. Great car, and the 197 PS 2.0 litre twin turbo engine (Z20LET) was shared with the Astra GSi. It did a great job of feeling urgent but was a great long distance car too. Handsome thing it was too.

 

[davymead]

I had a few warm hatches but I can’t remember owning a properly hot hatch. When I was ready to buy a hot hatch I found that more exotic cars could be insured for the same - or less - so I skipped over them completely.

Perhaps the closest I ever got was an Astra Coupe Turbo. Great car, and the 197 PS 2.0 litre twin turbo engine (Z20LET) was shared with the Astra GSi. It did a great job of feeling urgent but was a great long distance car too. Handsome thing it was too.

Red Top engine was/is a classic. Owned an Astra GSi and loved it. Quick in it’s day.

 

[alabbasi]

Nissan Cherry GTI




Which looks absolutely nothing like an Alfa Romeo Arna

 

[BigJase88]

I had a Lupo GTI. I liked that car.

Worth decent money now




I also had an EK9 Civic Type R with a DC2 Integra engine and S80 LSD box if anybody knows Honda's

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Nissan Cherry GTI

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Which looks absolutely nothing like an Alfa Romeo Arna

View attachment 134162

I think the best thing about the Arna was that it was probably the last straw for the Italian Govt that prompted them to sell to Fiat!

 

[Londonscottish]

Tha Alfa 33 was also good. I had a 1991 P4 Cloverleaf which was the 16 valve 4WD version. It was lovely, Recaro seats etc. Drank fuel though and didnt feel quite as nimble as the 2WD version. Still had that lovely boxer noise even with fuel injection.
View attachment 134126

View attachment 134127

I had the earlier 1.5 Green Cloverleaf. It was an 86 car and I bought it in 1989, not long after I started my career in London. It replaced a 1.5 Sud and felt a lot more modern although it lacked a lot of the steering and braking sharpness of the original.

Still, I went all over the place in that car inc several trips to the Scottish Highlands and one memorable drive to the south of France.

Two mates had identical (red) Green Cloverleafs, another had a Gold Cloverleaf and another had a 1.7 facelift. These were on top of the numerous Suds, Sprints and GTV's we ran around that time along with various other Alfas, Lancias and Fiats.

 

[Londonscottish]

I had an Alfasud 1.3ti.

I had a 1.5 SC and a 1.5 Sprint. My mate ran a 1.5 Sprint Veloce and 1.3 facelift. Others had a 1.2, a 1.3ti, and 1.5 GC.

I remember utterly destroying a bloke in a 3.0 Capri on a bumpy coastal B road in Fife in the 1.2. He was loads faster on the straights but the Sud could carry way way more speed on the corners. It was hilarious. And eye opening back in 1981.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

I had a 1.5 SC and a 1.5 Sprint. My mate ran a 1.5 Sprint Veloce and 1.3 facelift. Others had a 1.2, a 1.3ti, and 1.5 GC.

I remember utterly destroying a bloke in a 3.0 Capri on a bumpy coastal B road in Fife in the 1.2. He was loads faster on the straights but the Sud could carry way way more speed on the corners. It was hilarious. And eye opening back in 1981.

The handling on the Suds/Sprints was just amazing. You used to get a fair amount of roll (in typical Alfa style) but they were so predictable and gave so much feel you could slip and slide them all over the place. That's what i miss most about cars these days - too powerful and fast, too much grip and a lot less fun in my mind. I love my current GTV but i can't even scratch the surface of it's performance on the road which always gives a feeling of frustration. At least in the UK - continental trips are really only where ive been able to open it up a bit on the twisties, and then you have the added stress of being 500 miles or more from home in a 20+ year old Alfa!

 

[ChrisHGTV]

I had a Lupo GTI. I liked that car.

Worth decent money now

View attachment 134163


I also had an EK9 Civic Type R with a DC2 Integra engine and S80 LSD box if anybody knows Honda's

I think this kind of thing could be the future for fun/sports cars. Small, light, nippy, economical and fun. Kind of going full circle to the kind of cars this thread is about...

 

[poormansporsche]

Another forgotten hot hatch. The VW Corrado. Known as one of the best handling fwd cars in it's day. Owned a 1990 1.8 16V model. Cracking engine.

My favourite ever car, only the 1.8 but was formerly owned by a mg restoration garage owner so the paint was just fantastic for a 17 year old car

 

[ChrisPDuck]

The handling on the Suds/Sprints was just amazing. You used to get a fair amount of roll (in typical Alfa style) but they were so predictable and gave so much feel you could slip and slide them all over the place.

Spot on - quite understeery, especially in wet corners, but so predictable that I used to enjoy provoking it. With my current cars I'm too scared to even turn off the traction control!

 

[ChipChop]

View attachment 134168


My favourite ever car, only the 1.8 but was formerly owned by a mg restoration garage owner so the paint was just fantastic for a 17 year old car

Same as my old Corrado, red with the 1.8 16V lump, except my car was unmodified. H442JRF RIP. Prior to that car i had a VW Scirocco Scala 1.8 injection. Another great fast-ish VW but a challenge to keep clean as everything was white.

 

[davymead]

Spot on - quite understeery, especially in wet corners, but so predictable that I used to enjoy provoking it. With my current cars I'm too scared to even turn off the traction control!

Super looking vehicle, and with the obligatory crystal rear light upgrade.
Owned a G60 version for a short period in Aquablau. Loved it.