Small but surprisingly mighty | Six of the Best
The best things come in small packages, or so the saying goes - certainly looks it from here
Renaultsport Clio 200, 2012, 71k, £9,250
There is no joy quite like that of a small car with more performance than it ever really needed. What began as an after-hours VW project half a century ago (and can be traced back even further, to hot Minis) spawned some of the great performance cars of our time. Time to celebrate the pocket rocket at its unlikely best, then; cars with the kerbweight of a flip flop and just the right amount of power to make the best of it. Plus an unrivalled sense of fun, all while - by and large - looking like the humble grocery getter on which they were based. A tall order, but a niche that the French once made their own (and look set to bring into the electric age). A Clio 200 is an icon of the genre for very good reason: not all that different to look at than the average learnermobile, until you got behind the wheel, where its rev-hungry engine and agile chassis made it the hot hatch to beat. Hard to think of many more entertaining ways to spend £9k.
Nissan Note NISMO, 2015, 32k, £14,995
Now here is a real curio. The Japanese Domestic Market has become legendary over the years for creating hot hatches for its customers only, from GRMN Toyotas to very spicy Subarus, but here’s one you might not have heard of before: the Nissan Note NISMO. And you thought a Juke was odd. It really was an unlikely performance flagship, the Note as tedious as mini MPVs ever got and NISMO’s reputation still sky high. But if a Meriva VXR can exist, so can a Note NISMO. And while 140hp is never going to set the tarmac alight, it is naturally aspirated and manual, so there’s that. Plus this one has had an absolute fortune spent on aftermarket goodies, including genuine TE37s, a carbon induction kit, NISMO titanium exhaust (!) and brakes from Mines. It’s all your Gran Turismo Sunday Cup dreams come true. And you won’t see another anytime soon…
Vauxhall Nova SR, 1991, 104k, £13,995
Or if a car from the past 15 years is far too modern to spend £15k on, then we can absolutely do old school alternatives as well. There have been countless small, hot Vauxhalls over the years, from GTEs to the latest Corsa GSE, though nothing quite captured the appeal of the genre like a Nova SR. Small, cheap, stylish and just about fast enough to be fun, it was the epitome of the junior hot hatch four decades ago. Somewhat amazingly, this SR has one owner from new, a real surprise given how little these were once worth and given what a basic thing this is to do 100,000 miles in. Talk about commitment. Three and a half decades later, still nothing is going to get attention like turning up in a red SR Nova. Just bear in mind that your admirers might be 35 years older than they were, too.
Toyota Corolla GT, 1985, 112k, £17,995
Ask an enthusiast to picture a Toyota Corolla from the '80s and, of course, it’ll be the AE86 that comes to mind. The rear-drive coupe, the unlikely touring car hero, the drifter’s dream - even though very few actually sold in Britain. This is the other 4A-GE-engined Corolla of the time, the front-wheel drive AE92 GT. Less oversteery and less iconic, undoubtedly, though still blessed with that famous twin-cam under the bonnet that loved nothing more than whizzing past 7,000rpm. In 1985, remember, back when an XR3i was still labouring along with the wheezy CVH. A precursor to the mainstream Japanese hot hatches revving to the high heavens, a Corolla GT is surely going to be a very cool classic in the mid-2020s. Frustratingly, there’s not much info in the ad for this one, and the MOT history shows a car little used over the past decade, but it does look absolutely brilliant. And imagine what an AE86 in this condition would cost…
Honda Civic Type R, 1998, 68k, PH Auctions
The car that kicked off an incredible quarter-century of the Civic Type R badge, the EK9 is now a highly prized hot Honda. Much like the Corolla, in fact, it livened up one of the world’s plainest hatchbacks with a spectacular 16-valve four-pot. Things had moved on somewhat from the days of the 4A-GE, too; where once 140hp was good going for a 1.6, the Civic’s B16B shrieked out 185hp from just 1,595cc. A properly exotic specific output in 1997, the preserve of supercars really, available in a Honda hatchback. This one is more powerful again, in fact, with a larger Integra-spec 1.8 installed; with upgrades including a Spoon ECU, Fujitsubo exhaust and a Carbon Whale intake, it must be knocking on the door of 200hp. More than enough for 1,100kg and a limited-slip diff to work with. Boasting a whole heap of additional go-faster mods beyond the engine, it’ll be a mightier Type R than ever. And still an old Civic with stickers to so many.
Mini GP2, 2013, 32k, £22,995
Of course, this couldn’t happen without a Mini, the undisputed hero of the small but mighty superstars. And although nobody is going to mistake the GP for a regular Cooper S, with the unique livery, four-spoke wheels and missing rear seats, the driving experience really was one to be savoured. On paper it didn’t look drastically different to a JCW Works, without a drastic power bump, but adding expensive suspension, sticky tyres and big brakes made the Mini into a proper little touring car tribute act. It could lap as fast as many ostensibly more senior hot hatches, while not losing sight of the Mini mischief, either. With a limited production run on top, it’s little surprise that values are still holding strong. Nearly 15 years ago, the notion of a £28k, two-seat Mini was preposterous; this one’s for sale after 30k at just £5,000 less…
The 4AGE had an 20 valve + throttle bodies JDM derivative - had it in my Raw Striker. Have never seen one in its original Toyota setting.
Toyota, interesting survivor but 18 grand, it’s not that interesting.
Nissan, JDM curio but not one I aspire to.
Honda, quite cool, would go for a later model though.
Mini, sure it’s really good but always thought they are a bit try hard looking, probably will hold its value pretty well, always been a bit sceptical of four seat road cars with no back seats “Because race car”, just take them out if tracking it.
The 4AGE had an 20 valve + throttle bodies JDM derivative - had it in my Raw Striker. Have never seen one in its original Toyota setting.
A great list and far more interesting somehow.
I'm typing this with the laptop at the left-hand side of the desk to remind me of the Nova SR driving position - could they not afford a steering column UJ?
I'm not really convinced that there's sufficient difference between an EK4 and an EK9 to justify the price that thing will eventually go for, but the mods do make it even more compelling as one of the best sensible crazy cars ever made. I've prodded the rear arches on my computer screen and they didn't fall off, so it might be safe.
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