Filled your quota of sunshine for this week? Good, then it's time to stay in and catch up on the past week on PH. From Corsa VXR to Audi RS3 it's been a very busy week for hot hatches, with space set aside for motorsport at every level and a PHer story or two as well.
Nobody mention the Fiesta now...
A feast of hot hatches for all tastes on PistonHeads this week. Old and new, front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, turbocharged, naturally-aspirated and more variables besides. The refreshed
Vauxhall Corsa VXR
proved very impressive on track at Knockhill and on the nearby roads. The
Audi RS3
wasn't exactly at home on track (what did you expect?) but proved far more likeable on road. Quite an engine by all accounts too...
The biggest hot hatch feature of this week centred on a company famous for them: Renaultsport. From Williams to the current 200 EDC, the front-wheel drive fast Clios were compared at Brands Hatch to find the best. A word of caution though; reading that story may lead to a peruse of the classifieds and a longing for a Renaultsport Clio. You have been warned! Let's hope the upcoming 220 Trophy is another Renaultsport legend.
Finally, a quick mention for the 500hp Peugeot 308. No, really. Alright, so the 308 R Hybrid won't make production but it does point the way to a roadgoing 308 R soon. Given Peugeot Sport's recent success with the 208 GTI 30th the signs are good.
More different than you might expect actually
Both stories with the most comments on PH this week feature an Audi, with the RS3 leading the way currently but there are over 130 on the
Audi SQ5 Blood Brothers
feature as well. Perhaps it was inevitable with a twin test against the Porsche Macan; they're both cars that tend to provoke an opinion or two...
Back much closer to the ground, we've had an update from Charlie Martin and her European hillclimbing campaign. Just in case hillclimbs weren't scary enough, she's doing it in a Formula Renault car!
Paul Newman has featured prominently on PH too this week. His motorsport successes are being marked in a new film and, well, what more excuse is required for a Porsche 935 Pic Of The Week? See also the MotoGP review, a brief taste of the F1 2015 game and highlights from the first round of the 2015 BTCC.
Time to relive the 80s (at a price)
Spurred on by that Renaultsport feature, Dan has blogged on the
best of the breed
; when did iconic cars reach their peak? Do some still have a way to go? Golf GTI, Renaultsport Clio and Ferrari V12s are mentioned in the story, with many more already running in the thread. Take a look!
Continuing the hot hatch theme yet further, Adrian Flux competition winner John Crook gave an update on his gorgeous Delta Integrale. It appears the affection hasn't dimmed one bit!
Elsewhere we've had a PHer-submitted Dream Drive, a new £100K Garage and a classic slice of Rover barge for Shed. See as well a fantastic Ford Granada from the classifieds, the latest on life with a WRX STI and a very brave PHer with an Ultima GTR. Don't forget the latest PHTV episode too. More next week!
- Lotus Evora buying guide
- Every which way of hot Golf estate driven
- Jaguar XE full drive
- Lamborghini Aventador SV driven...
- ...swiftly followed by a run in the Ferrari 488 GTB
[*'Horde' or 'hoard'? In the context of Renault's hoard of pristine Clios that usage works ... but we've had enough hot hatches on the site to qualify them as a horde. In this instance we'd say it's interchangeable! - Ed.]