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So looking through some old photo's got me thinking of all the hot hatches ive had and wished i took photo's of all of them (only have pics of a few)
So in order of puchase ive had the following
1981 MK3 Ford XR3 (non injection) in Caspian blue, this was my 1st car after passing my test, interior was swapped out for XR3I blue piped interior including electric windows and a set of 15in RS Turbo 7 spoke wheels fitted
2nd car was a 1982 MK3 Ford Escort RS1600i in sunburst red, running the original twin coil set up
3rd was a 1983 MK1 Astra GTE in red
4th was another 1982 RS1600i this time in black
5th was a 1988 White MK4 Escort RS Turbo series 2
6th was a black 1988 MK4 RS Turbo series 2, went to town on this one, was standard when purchased, by the time i had finished it was running 200bhp, lowered, Willwood 4 pots, full polybush kit, stg 1 gerabox, B&M quickshift along with a few other mods, have a few pic of this one
7th was a H reg Nova GSI, lots of mods, great little car, was tempted to drop a 2.0l 16v lump in but never got round to it
8th was a 1986 Escort RS Turbo series 1, ex show winning car, running 200bhp, sold to mate who still owns it to this day
9th was a 2016 Ford Focus ST3, running 280 bhp (Revo kit) great car, bought it with 38k on the clock, think its the one car i miss the most, never had any issues, great daily driver with enough oomph, just a bit crap for transporting bikes
Mixed in between all these has been a couple of dodgy cars (Pug 306 D Turbo x2, what was i thinking!) along with a BMW 318 IS Coupe and a Audi A4 Avant Special Edition (220bhp version) and the current VW T5 Transporter van
Currently looking at Audi RS6 Avant's whilst awaiting some inheritance money but keep looking at hot hatches too
Out of all of them the RS1600i's were my fave, just loved the look of them
Warm hatches. Rover Metro GTa - weighed nothing, and went like a Go Kart. Micra K11 Super S 1.3 - nice car, and quick. Then a company car, bit bigger, Alfa 147 Selespeed - that was a hoot.
When that went back I bought a big Nissan Saloon, boring but lasted me 22 years until I've just changed it for a rather rapid Van with seats, which is faster than any of them by some way.
B reg 205 GTi 1.6 one of my favourite cars ever as it was only 3 years old , bought it from a lady who owned a hairdressing salon and treated it so well it was immaculate and smelled nice too
It had the perfect balance of performance and handling, looked great in silver and none of the torque steer some other fwd hatchback suffered from
I did have a Golf GTi MK2 enjoyed it as well but had the badge nicked twice, broken into once so not so good memories
Only one a 306gti6.
Lovely car to drive very nimble, as pokey as I'd ever feel the need to use and you could really use it's performance without getting into ban territory or doing idiotic and illegal speeds that would put others in harm's way.
Too many years since of smashing out big mileages and my priorities are more 'auto box, 50+mpg, tows well with comfy seats these days but life has many other positive things that trump cars.
I do love the Abarth's what version is it? they look like a lot of fun but a bit impratical for me
I had a Fiat Uno Turbo for three years. Awesome thing it was. Superb handling and ridiculously fast for a wee machine.
Also had a Renault 19 Turbo for about three years. It was a company car and everyone in the office seemed to need to "borrow" it for various errands 🙂 I loved the rather capacious boot too.
FWIW both ran faultlessly, for me and for the subsequent owners.
Saxo VTR
SEAT Ibiza Cupra
VW Golf v5
BMW 130i
Miss the 130 the most but suspect rose tinted glasses are involved
Dihatsu charade GTti
Fiat strada 130tc abarth
205gti
309gti
Then went onto company cars like a grown up, and had some mentally fast ones over the years.
Does this count?
Bought it new after a bit of a work bonus. Before that there was a slightly warm Mitsubishi Colt GLXi, after came a Subaru WRX (sort of a hatch), RS4 Avant (not really a hatch) and currently an S3 (definitely a hatch).
I was more into the push bikes, so I've always had decent road bikes, the car had to carry them and needed to be reliable so the 'hatches' were only warm ones.
Ford in the late 60's and all of the 70's were so good , Lotus Cortina, Rs1600,Twin Cam, MK1 Mexico I had 3 and the Rs 2000 chuck in the Anglia and Capri for looks but that front wheel hatchback from the xr3 to Rs2000!!!!!! Looked shit no idea what the were like to drive or own but the Germans showed them how much a mistake they made with the GTI
Mini 1275GT with Janspeed exhaust. On country lanes it was fastest car "in the world".
However it was so loud inside a radio was useless.
I did once park it a street in London and an American wanted to buy it off me.
First car was a mini city e, loads of fun but the slowest thing in the world! I had bucket seats you had to climb over to get in the back.... Once squashed in 7 people to go to the drive though!
Next was a 205 xs which was a pretty bad car. Followed by the Nova Gte up there, that was bloody awesome, so much fun to drive. I had it lowered so the rear wheels rubbed the arches and the front suspension strut tore the engine bay. Got it welded back together, it was reet.
Then a pre 90 spec S2 rs turbo, adjustable boost and insane torque steer. That ended up in the side of a lorry, pulled out of a side junction on me (not my fault!)
Then 90 spec S2 which was a bit more refined, then the grey S1 up there. The only factory sprayed mercury grey (obviously regret selling that on.)
Proton GTi after that which was a surprisingly good little car, then the Starlet GT turbo up there which was just a daft car.
Then an Sri Corsa, then a mk 1 vxr Corsa which was great. Then sensible after that, a mini clubman, Citroen cactus, 2 Octavia's, now a Corsa e and transporter!
Fiat strada 65cl, my first car, cost £120 and was only just value for money.
Had quite a few “fast” cars not all hot hatches.
2005 AMG CLK 55 Cabriolet. Wasn’t a particularly fast car in modern day standards, but was a really nice car to drive.
R Reg TVR Chimera, 5 litre special edition. Was a great car to drive, I didn’t drive it particularly hard, had no real issues with it. This felt very fast, scarily so! Span it once without really going at speed, road was damp with leaves.
Mercedes GLC AMG43. Hated it. Cruised well on ok roads, crashy bangy on even the slightest of bumpy roads.
Cupra Leon (2019), loved it. Only got rid of it last year to move to an EV.
Mini Cooper S 2005 - was ok. Fun when it wasn’t broken. Broken more than it wasn’t. Was a money pit…..but I’d get another one….yes I’m daft!
Proton GTi after that which was a surprisingly good little car,
I passed a Proton the other day, I was surprised there was any still on the road.
Golf GTi, MK3 8 valve. I found out after buying it, it was the slowest golf GTi.
Good fun until it started cutting out randomly. 40,000 miles of relatively cheap motoring.
Skoda Octavia Vrs mark 1.
A massive upgrade on the golf. 80,000 miles of mostly trouble free motoring.
I'm in a 335d now. 60,000 miles mostly trouble free motoring. Apart from the one time it caught fire. Still not quite forgiven it for that. Not quite a hot hatch but I love it. Frugal enough, mostly too fast for me, steering feels ace other than one time it felt very, very odd through a fast corner.
R53 Cooper S - bought new in 2003. Still own it... Guaranteed to put a smile on my face.
I had a Fiat Uno Turbo for three years.
Jealous. My first car was an uno 999. Incredible handling and I was always wanting a turbo.
Then I had some astra thing that wasn't a gte but was very quick in it's day. Close ratio box, dropped suspension and 1.8 16v I think.
Proton GTi
Pretty sure I had one on a track day at brands hatch, it was pretty good fun.
Then I got into motorbikes and never looked at cars again
For context I’m now 40. Somehow managed to convince my dad to buy a (then new) 2002 clio sport when I was 18 and he was ready to downsize from the family car. He put me on the insurance. Man that thing was brilliant.
followed up myself with a ‘92 Mini Cooper John cooper works Si.
One or two.
Nova GTE with redtop conversion. I was 19 it was silly fast.
Astra GTE with Calibra Turbo conversion. Dangerous.
MK1 golf with G60 Conversion. Nightmare but had moments of brilliance.
Polo G40, best car I ever owned. Charge cooler, water injection, toothed pulleys, lsd.14.04 quarter mile, proper sleeper,hilarious.
EK4 civic VTI great, sold it to get a EK9 which nearly got stolen off the drive & I sold.
3 swift Sports, current one is a gem.
Wasn't a hot hatch but I learnt to drive (and subsequently owned) a Fiat 131 Mirafiori Sport, which was maybe intended to go up against the Ford hot hatches. Brilliant car, 2.0l twin cam, rorty dell'ortos, black velour interior, 13" Alleycats.
And a rust bucket, especially in my case as my dad used to windsurf so it spent a lot of time in seaside car parks.
Fewer than 25 left now. All that remains of mine is the factory Fiat parcel shelf towel!
The 131 mirafiori sport was before hot hatches and was a poor man's MK2 rs2000
I had a black one with the velour upholstery, Pirelli P6 tyres
Look up Paulo Diana on you tube and see his 131 in action although I'm sure it's a Japanese engine but fantastic to watch
Nice cars, but up against the Escort Mk2s
Talbot samba rallye - my first car in 87,cost 700 quid to buy, 450 quid to insure
Audi s3 - awful car, hated it
BMW m135i
Toyota gr yaris - current car, amazing
Edit: I forgot about the civic type r
Mk1 Golf Gti, Mk2 Golf Gti, Peugeot 205 Gti 1.9, Mk2 Jetta Gti 16v ( ok not really a hatch), Peugeot 309 Xsi, Citroen BX Gti 16v, Mk4 Golf Gt Tdi (does that count?), Honda Civic Vti, Mk7 Golf R, Mk7.5 Golf R.
I had a Fiat Uno Turbo for three years.
A mate had a Lancia Delta Integrale which constantly had something expensive wrong with it so he bought a Dimmer Uno Turbo so he had a car that actually worked. It’s the most terrifying car I’ve ever been in. It appeared to be made out of discarded fag packets and tinfoil. I reckon if you crashed it, your chances of survival would be zero
I loved my old ‘boiled sweet’ Golf GTi. Stage 1 remap, lowered, BBS Monzas. Bloody great fun!
Mrs Binners had a Polo GTi at the same time which was like a rocket powered roller skate. It was like Mariokart to drive
Then there’s this thing. It’s still my daily driver. We have a complicated relationship going back twenty years. We were apart for a bit, then got back together. 3 names on the log book and 2 of them are me. Not a hatch, but still counts. I bloody LOVE this car!
he bought a Dimmer Uno Turbo so he had a car that actually worked. It’s the most terrifying car I’ve ever been in. It appeared to be made out of discarded fag packets and tinfoil. I reckon if you crashed it, your chances of survival would be zero
This times many!
My uno was the flimsiest car I've ever seen. The body work dissolved in front of your eyes. The steering was sublime. Glorious drifts on damp tarmac what a car.
It did make a saxo look a good prospect in a crash though
Iirc it had a single wing mirror and the funkiest paddle switches, all reached from the wheel
The only hot hatch I’ve had was a 306 gti6 which I loved. But family estates then took over.
i have considered getting something like an early A45 Merc or GolfR for track use. But I can’t be hassled with the security worries.
Polo G40, best car I ever owned. Charge cooler, water injection, toothed pulleys, lsd.14.04 quarter mile, proper sleeper,hilarious.
Great little cars with a lot of charm. Not the fastest or best of the generation but a lot of fun. Mine sounded really nice under power, like a jet fighter. It was a mixture of the low resonant burble (Scorpion exhaust K&N induction) and the subtle supercharger whine, rather than that fart can sound so many of the little hot hatches had. Had a Seat Leon Cupra 1.8T after it. A much more modern and refined car. It was faster, not by much, but wasn't as much fun/dangerous! Out of all the cars I've owned the G40 is the only one people remember, weird for such a low key vehicle. I didn't see another on the road when I owned it or since!
The road legal rally cars Impreza, Lancer Evo and Pulsar GTI-R wiped the floor with the older hot hatches and set the tone for what followed.
Non the less there's a few already mentioned I would have loved to have a go of:
205 GTI
Renault 5 GT Turbo (not mentioned)
Starlet Turbo
Uno Turbo (ferocious tin can)
Peugeot 306 GTI6 (another understated sleeper)
Integra Type R
Quite liked the Megane 225 but it was a very plastic feeling car for it's price. Came close to buying a VW Passat W8!
Also had a Renault 19 Turbo for about three years.
Had no idea there was such a thing!
Opel Kadett 1.3 SR (would be best described as "luke warm" rather than "hot" but it did look the part and, if I remember correctly, had excellent front seats)
Talbot Sunbeam TI - with two twin choke Webber carbs which were about the same size as the rest of the engine. RWD so a oversteer on demand, particularly on the cheap tyres I could just about afford at the time. I couldn't afford a Lotus Sunbeam (or, more accurately, couldn't afford to insure one)
Peugeot 309 GTI 1.9 - ugly outside and only bought because my budget wouldn't stretch to a 205 GTI 1.9 (and cheaper to insure than the 205 variant)
Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6 - see above. Still too poor to afford the real deal but, it turns out, 1.6 was poky enough for me anyway.
What could possibly be worse in a crash than an uno turbo?
Maybe not worse but on a par:
Fiat Panda Turbo
Citroen AX GT
My old Fiesta, it was ludicrously fast and well balanced up to about 120mph, My mates Honda fireblade 600 couldn't even keep pace with it on the slow corners due to the sheer grip it had.
Of course he lost me for dust on the straights.
His and hers.
I’ve had the R32 for 12 years now and will prob never get rid.
We were looking to get rid of our old B7 A4 Avant Tdi when my wife asked if there was an estate version of my car as “I like ragging it”.
I had a Peugeot 206 GTI 1.9 litre for around 15 years - lovely to drive on twisty A roads. Now got a SEAT Leon FR which still pokey but a bit more sedate than the Peugeot.
That red fiesta with the knackered suspension and skirt has won the prize for the worst by a mile looking car on this thread
Am I reading correctly that it was so fast and balanced up to 120mph yet drum rear brakes ?
I'm guessing your mate wasn't the best on a bike?
Am I reading correctly that it was so fast and balanced up to 120mph yet drum rear brakes ?
Yep, I actualy got 145mph out of it on the M1 once....at a quiet time of night...It had AVO suspension, and the 1.7 Yamaha/FRP engine helped, but, it got a bit frighening at that speed, it was litteraly about to take off.
No down force. At all.
Maybe I should have put a bigger spoiler on it?
I think I can proabably admit to that now, staute of limitations, and all that.
Amongst other cars, I have had quite a few hot/warm hatches over the years as follows:
Mini 1275GT
Fiesta XR2 (mk2)
Nova SRi
Citroen ZX Furio
Clio RSi
Ford Puma (1.7 engine)
Audi TT (mk2)
Then I had kids...