Friday 14th October 2011

Six Of The Best? Forgotten Hot Hatches

We gather together a sextet of hot hatches that we reckon deserve more recognition than they usually get...

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If we were to ask you, off the top of your head, to rattle off the names of a few hot hatches, your list of shopping-trolley-turned-performance-cars would probably include at least some of the following: the Mk1 Golf GTI, the Peugeot 205 GTI, the Escort XR3, The Astra GTE, The Civic Type R or the Focus RS.

But for every famous hot hatch out there that comes easily to mind, the cutting room floor of motoring history is littered with the hot hatches that time forgot, and it's those we're celebrating here. The rough diamonds, lost gems and random oddities of the hot hatch world.

The idea formed when we tried to come up with a list of cars with which to compare our PH Fleet Seat Leon Cupra R. Now, we could have plumped for the obvious 'get a load of contemporary fast hatches and call it a group test' option, but we're not What Car? so we didn't. And besides, a large proportion of the Seat's current rivals are VW Group products, so there wouldn't have been all that much engineering variety on offer.

This left us with an unexpected dilemma: we couldn't actually find a suitable hot hatch hook on which to hang the Leon Cupra R and thereby choose the other cars. Fastest hot hatch of its generation? Not really. Most devastating A-B weapon? Well, it's quick, but there are quicker. Handling tweaked by God himself? Er... no. Best bhp-per-pound of its time? It's good, but the Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup does that better...

We quickly realised that, however much we like the Leon Cupra R, it is not a superlative performer in any one area. As such, when the history of hot hatches of the 2010s comes to be written it will be easy to forget the bright yellow beast from Barcelona. And here the light-bulb moment happened: we would compare it with a gaggle of other forgotten hot hatches.

There followed a fevered forum thread, where everything from a Daihatsu Charade GTti, to an Alfasud, to an MG Maestro (and an astonishing amount of stuff in between) was suggested as a possible candidate.

The eclectic mix of stuff you see here is a result of those options suggested that we could a) find and, b) get together on the same day. And with everything from a bespoke V6 Beetle to a hydropneumatically suspended Citroen BX, it's certainly an eclectic mix...

Pics: Nick Williams

Philip - Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf

"I've owned Alfas for nearly 25 years and would have liked an Alfasud but for everyday use they are just a bit too marginal these days, plus 3 or 4 times as much as a 145 for a decent one. We had a 145 a few years ago and had fond memories of it."

Power: 150bhp
0-60mph: 8.0secs
Top speed: 129mph
Read more about Philip's Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf

 

Steve - MG ZS 180

"I plan to run the ZS into the ground as a second, or hoonable, car. It owes me far too much money and time to give it away for whatever a 33,000-mile, 7-year-old car is worth. That's before people say 'It's a Rover, isn't it? Can you get parts? How many headgaskets have you gone through...?'"

Power: 175bhp
0-60mph: 7.3secs
Top speed: 139mph
Read more about Steve's MG ZS 180

 

Tony - VW Beetle RSi

"I can't think of any other car that (for the money) would make me grin like a 3-year-old every time I plant my foot on the accelerator, no other car that I would consider owning. Maybe something in addition, but not as a replacement."

Power: 221bhp
0-60mph: 6.4secs
Top speed: 140mph
Read more about Tony's VW Beetle RSi

 

Richard - Citroen BX 16v

"I wanted a BX since I was 8. My dad had just bought a 1983 16TRS, one of the first into the country. I loved that car, it practically kick-started an obsession with Citroens, particularly the BX. I used to pass a black one year old BX 16v on an H plate on my way to school on my estate. It was always on my top ten list, which although people laugh at was great, because it cost less than a month's wages to buy one!"

Power: 160bhp
0-60mph: 7.4secs
Top speed: 135mph
Read more about Richard's BX 16v

 

Ian - Skoda Octavia vRS

"It isn't the most glamorous of cars, and there are much more 'hardcore' things out there, but the Octavia feels more than fast enough for me while remaining suitably comfortable."

Power: 178bhp
0-60mph: 7.9secs
Top speed: 144mph
Read more about Ian's Skoda Octavia vRS

 

Riggers (on behalf of RacingPete) - Seat Leon Cupra R

"There are hatches out there that handle better, make a nicer noise, go faster, or are simply more glamorous. That's why history is likely to forget about the 'most powerful seat ever'. But it shouldn't, because the Leon is feisty, mighty fast, and an enjoyable companion, whether you've got to deal with a motorway schlep or your favourite country road. It might not be superlative in any one areas, but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty super."

Power: 261bhp
0-62mph: 6.2secs
Top Speed: 155mph
Read more about RacingPete's Seat Leon Cupra R

[The Danimal]

I absolutely love that BX... top work.

[missing the VR6]

Interesting concept for a feature, would have been nice to get a bit more info on how they drive compared to say a more modern hatch or their contemporaies at the time.

[soad]

I'm yet to see a Beetle RSi on the road.

[Ramses]

I got a 145 Cloverleaf as a company car back in 1996 (Reg: P91 PWW if anyone has it..?)

At a time when all my colleagues were either getting a 16v Golf GTi or a BMW 318ti, they all thought I was bonkers for getting the Alfa, also in black like the one above.

...until I took them out in it. Absolutely fantastic car, pointy, raspy, very responsive and a fantastic chasis for a FWD set-up. Looked space-age at the time and went like a rocket.

I had it for 2 years and stuck almost 60,000 miles on it in that time. No problems with it at all.

It got replaced by another company car - The first ever 156 2.5 V6 Sport 3s in the country that was just like the 145 in a bigger, even more space-age package.

It got replaced my an M3 Evo.... Far better car, but I missed the Alfa just about every day.

[acf8181]

i've always quite liked the 145 cloverleaf, though never been brave enough to buy one....looking at that i'm wondering why!

[ge0rge]

soad said:

I'm yet to see a Beetle RSi on the road.

Ditto

Did they ever sell the rsi in the uk?

[mk1chopper]

Isnt that 0-60 time for the skoda wrong, I dont no of any ko3 varient 1.8t that has a factory sub 7 second 0-60 time, only the ko4 varient 1.8t (210/225/240) have sub 7 second times. Parkers shows it as 7.6

[y2blade]

The Danimal said:

I absolutely love that BX... top work.

+1

[Jon951]

I had one of those BX 16 valvers back in the mid 90's. Loved it to start with as it was properly quick (if short geared and hence noisey on the motorway), had loads of equipment for the time and was something a bit different.

Began to love it less when it sprung a major hydraulic leak leaving me stranded several hundred miles from home...loved it even less when it burst into flames one Monday morning on the M40 - My feet got distinctly warm before I was able to pull over and get out. By the time the fire brigade arrived it was a burnt out shell.

[ge0rge]

mk1chopper said:

Isnt that 0-60 time for the skoda wrong, I dont no of any ko3 varient 1.8t that has a factory sub 7 second 0-60 time, only the ko4 varient 1.8t (210/225/240) have sub 7 second times. Parkers shows it as 7.6

its all variable isnt it, as the report suggests some of the k03's ran more than their standard 180 brake - so if it was pushing 200 - possible?!

[300bhp/ton]

Quite enjoyed reading that. Thanks PH

[buellboy]

Awesome article! Some serious oddball cars there. I own a 145 and it currently wins for bhp/per £ (if you include insurance and running costs) and it is sooo much fun. The engine just wants to rev (unlike the clio renaulsport 200 that i test-drove).

Also it my 145 has just been back from germany (nurburgring trip on 1st of october when everyone crashed) and I managed to see 138mph on the satnave and 142mph on the speedo....there were 3 people in the car and we didn't hit the limiter. I think the theoretical max is 150mph

[WCZ]

love the rsi, so rare.

i've seen two on the road mind. can't imagine them handling very well

[JonnyFive]

WCZ said:

love the rsi, so rare.

i've seen two on the road mind. can't imagine them handling very well

I think I've seen that one in the feature in Guildford before.

Is Riggers the owner, or just did the write up?

[RB Will]

Funny I would not have come up with any of them. I know they all are technically but I would only have called the Alfa and Seat hatchbacks.

[Riggers]

mk1chopper said:

Isnt that 0-60 time for the skoda wrong, I dont no of any ko3 varient 1.8t that has a factory sub 7 second 0-60 time, only the ko4 varient 1.8t (210/225/240) have sub 7 second times. Parkers shows it as 7.6

Did seem odd. Got a feeling it's taken from the original autocar road test (I got it from carfolio.com). A quick flick through Evo suggests 7.9secs. So I've changed it from the original 6.7

[r1ch]

Nice read.

I do particularly like the BX. Mainly because i'd quite like to take out its heart and put it in a 205.

[mk1chopper]

WCZ said:

love the rsi, so rare.

i've seen two on the road mind. can't imagine them handling very well

Similar to the TT V6 (although the RSI appears to have a smaller front ARB) as it shares the same underpinnings. The R32 went on to have larger ARB's which a lot of S3/TT owners fit to reduce understeer.

[NotNormal]

soad said:

I'm yet to see a Beetle RSi on the road.

There's an owner of one just down from where I work. Certainly a rare sight indeed.

[Riggers]

r1ch said:

Nice read.

I do particularly like the BX. Mainly because i'd quite like to take out its heart and put it in a 205.

Step away from the BX, r1ch... have your wicked way with an Mi16...