Limited edition hot hatches | Six of the Best
You can easily spend upwards of £50k on a used hot hatch - would you?
Renaultsport Megane R26.R, 2009, 13k, £54,995
Is the hot hatch nearly done? Who knows. With the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45 drawing to a close, and non-hybridised cars increasingly rare, it does seem like we’re approaching the end of an era. And what an era it was - so universally popular was the segment that it not only sustained upmarket options (so prodigiously upmarket that the run-out RS3 costs from £89k) but also absurdly niche and often fabulously expensive special editions. Consider the original R26.R, Renault’s stripped-out ‘ring record-getter. Hard to have more fun with your trousers on - especially in something with sufficient boot space to transport a trouser press. It was pricey enough in 2009. Today, its reputation burnished by rarity - and this example wearing only 13k miles - you’ll need to part with £54,995. Silly money? We’re just getting started.
VW Golf GTI Clubsport S, 2017, 19 miles, £69,995
This particular Golf GTI has been a feature of the classifieds for some time - most likely because the selling dealer wants £69,995 to part with it, and is apparently in no rush. That might seem like an implausibly large number for a Mk7 GTI, but the Clubsport S was an implausibly good hot hatch. It was built to conquer the Nordschleife too, and was put on much the same crash diet as the R26.R. Yet it proved to be nicer to drive on the road and retained more of its creature comforts (if not its rear seats). Regardless, it is the presence of the six-speed manual that now distinguishes the model from spiritual successors like the current Edition 50. Moreover, this one has apparently covered just 19 miles since 2017, which makes it rarer than an honest man in parliament. Hence the sticker price.
Ford Focus RS Red Edition, 2018, 48k, PH Auction
No hot hatch, in the UK at least, lands with quite the same almighty thud as an RS-grade Fast Ford (a fact that makes the manufacturer’s current lack of interest all the more baffling). The Mk4 Focus was a case in point, helped no end by its showy GKN-enabled all-wheel drive system. The Red Edition arrived at the tail end of the Focus RS’s life, notable mostly for its ‘Race Red’ finish. But limited volume made it immediately popular, and you can expect plenty of interest when this one goes under the hammer next week. The later, run-out Heritage Edition exceeded it in rarity (there are none currently for sale on PH), and was priced accordingly. In subsequent years, we’ve seen delivery-mile examples exceed £75k on the secondhand market. Mental.
Toyota GR Yaris Ogier Edition, 2026, 290 miles, £58,985
The Focus RS, though, was never positioned as cost-effective - that’s what the Focus ST is for. The Toyota GR Yaris, lest we forget, was priced from £29,995 when it launched, at a time when a Ford Fiesta ST Edition cost £27,075. It was not precisely cheap per se, but certainly it was priced to compete. By the time the Ogier Edition appeared in 2024, limited to 200 examples, it had basically doubled. Toyota was able to do this because a) it claimed to be celebrating Sébastien Ogier’s eight titles - and could therefore charge what it liked - and b) the GR Yaris is wildly enjoyable to drive, and therefore very popular. It helps too, of course, that there never seemed to be enough to GR Yarises to go around, which has kept secondhand prices impressively buoyant. This one, with 290 miles on the clock, is effectively new, hence the £63,495 asking price.
Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition, 2021, 7k, £53,500
The only car that came close to the Yaris for all-court ability - and exceeded it in ride comfort and interior quality - was the Honda Civic Type R. Fitting then that the run-out version of the FK8, the Limited Edition, took the concept too about as far as its maker was willing to take it: i.e. with a light round of mass subtraction and a lot of Sunlight Yellow. At the time, £40k seemed a bit much for this combination, but as there were only 20 sold in the UK, the car immediately sold out and has become arguably the most coveted variant. Hence an valuation that exceeds £50k for this two-owner example that has covered just 7k since 2021. Much like the Golf, it has been waiting for the right buyer for a while now. But its status as a modern classic is hardly in question.
BMW M140i Championship Edition, 2019, 34k, £29,995
Whether you think the M140i a modern classic depends greatly on your opinion of its unlikely rear-drive configuration. Nevertheless, the appeal of its 340hp straight-six hardly needs explaining in 2026, nor the accessible secondhand pricing of the F20. The Championship Edition, launched to mark BMW’s involvement in British Touring Cars, was limited to just 30 examples, and therefore sits at the top of the market - but £29,995 looks like good value compared to the other contenders here. Its premium when new was justified by the standard fit limited-slip diff (an option elsewhere) and a sportier exhaust. Probably the least appealing car here from a styling perspective, though easily the fruitiest to listen to. Worth the outlay when you can have basically the same M140i, minus the livery, for £5k cheaper? You decide.
Equally happy to own any if paying with someone else's money apart from the Renault...
Squidgy windows was a turn off 20years ago and still cannot justify it in the name of weight saving today.
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