RE: Six Of The Best? Forgotten Hot Hatches
Discussion
145 for me.
I grew up on Alfa's in the 80's but by mid 90's I was in a 200 SX phase.
A friend of mine bought a red 145 Cloverleaf new and I had a few drives - and LOVED it. I particularly loved the raspy, revvy, gutsy engine and the very quick-witted steering.
Off to have a look in the classifieds.....
I grew up on Alfa's in the 80's but by mid 90's I was in a 200 SX phase.
A friend of mine bought a red 145 Cloverleaf new and I had a few drives - and LOVED it. I particularly loved the raspy, revvy, gutsy engine and the very quick-witted steering.
Off to have a look in the classifieds.....
Great article.
I currently own a 1.8T Octavia vRS (my 1st turbo car). The main reason for buying it was comfortable ride with performance
I had to get rid of my 205 Mi16 & a Clio 172 because the suspension was too hard for my back (getting old!)
Regarding the vRS, EVO magazine said something like 'it is not the car you would get up early on a Sunday morning to drive'. I would agree. It is a really good car, does everything well. But has no soul. Now the 205 Mi16 over 4500rpm...
Don't worry no BX's were killed in my Mi16 conversion, just two 405 Mi16x4's!!!
I currently own a 1.8T Octavia vRS (my 1st turbo car). The main reason for buying it was comfortable ride with performance
I had to get rid of my 205 Mi16 & a Clio 172 because the suspension was too hard for my back (getting old!)
Regarding the vRS, EVO magazine said something like 'it is not the car you would get up early on a Sunday morning to drive'. I would agree. It is a really good car, does everything well. But has no soul. Now the 205 Mi16 over 4500rpm...
Don't worry no BX's were killed in my Mi16 conversion, just two 405 Mi16x4's!!!
Jon951 said:
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.
I had one too, great boot.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.
Mine suffered the hydraulic failure too, and bottomed out, which made it a pain to get it relayed home, but still fun while it lasted.
Ramses said:
It got replaced my an M3 Evo.... Far better car, but I missed the Alfa just about every day.
I now own 2 Toyota Altezza RS200's and a Corolla Levin, I miss my Alfa still, what makes it worse is that the woman I sold it too lives around the corner from my parents. The ex used to tell me off for stopping outside the house for a look. I might buy her back. I miss you Bella! hahaI've always quite liked the Beetle RSI. Despite the fact it was never the best handler, it is incredibly bespoke. Had a poke around one at Autostadt in Wolfsburg and it feels like a supercar from the inside!
I recently got rid of my black Mk1 Octavia vRS. Not quite sure about the oversteer comment though Riggers I drove that thing fecking hard and only ever managed to get oversteer once when I hit a patch of water half way through a 60mph corner on lift off and it was the most slow, progressive oversteer I've ever experienced! My new Mk5 Golf GTI on the other hand is unbelievably lively. Still.....the Skoda was a great car.
I recently got rid of my black Mk1 Octavia vRS. Not quite sure about the oversteer comment though Riggers
I drove that thing fecking hard and only ever managed to get oversteer once when I hit a patch of water half way through a 60mph corner on lift off and it was the most slow, progressive oversteer I've ever experienced! My new Mk5 Golf GTI on the other hand is unbelievably lively. Still.....the Skoda was a great car.Anyone else remember the BX 4TC? 200 built, 86 cars sold, Citroen then recalled as many as they could to be destroyed. Around 40 cars survive, making them quite a rare car. Personally i've never liked the styling, but i find such history of motorsport cars very interesting.
Wikipedia
"Citroën entered Group B rallying with the BX in 1986. The specially-designed rally BX was called the BX 4TC and bore little resemblance to the standard BX. It had a very long nose because the engine (a turbocharger fitted version of Chrysler Europe's Simca Type 180 engine) was mounted longitudinally unlike in the regular BX. The rally version of the BX also featured the unique hydropneumatic suspension. Because of the Group B regulations, 200 street versions of the 4TC also had to be built.
The 4TC was never very successful in World Rally Championship competition, its best result being 6th place in the 1986 Swedish Rally, and Citroën only participated in three Group B rallies before the Group B class was banned in late 1986, following the death of Henri Toivonen in his Lancia Delta S4 at the Tour de Corse Rally. Citroën was ashamed of the performance of its cars, and immediately recalled and scrapped as many examples as it could, making the BX 4TC road and race cars extremely rare and sought-after"
Wikipedia
"Citroën entered Group B rallying with the BX in 1986. The specially-designed rally BX was called the BX 4TC and bore little resemblance to the standard BX. It had a very long nose because the engine (a turbocharger fitted version of Chrysler Europe's Simca Type 180 engine) was mounted longitudinally unlike in the regular BX. The rally version of the BX also featured the unique hydropneumatic suspension. Because of the Group B regulations, 200 street versions of the 4TC also had to be built.
The 4TC was never very successful in World Rally Championship competition, its best result being 6th place in the 1986 Swedish Rally, and Citroën only participated in three Group B rallies before the Group B class was banned in late 1986, following the death of Henri Toivonen in his Lancia Delta S4 at the Tour de Corse Rally. Citroën was ashamed of the performance of its cars, and immediately recalled and scrapped as many examples as it could, making the BX 4TC road and race cars extremely rare and sought-after"
Edited by thewheelman on Friday 14th October 13:20
My best mate's dad had a BX 16v when we were at school. I recall coming down the M62 late at night after tea at Harry Ramsden's and his dad had perfected a knack of placing his hand so that mum couldn't see the speedo and was blissfully oblvious that we were batting along well into 3 figures. Wonderful memories 
One of my favourites was the Mk II Scirocco GTI, a seriously under-rated car at the time, although nowadays doubtless classed as a coupe rather than a hatch even if VW think a hatch is a coupe presently.
I also had a Renault Fuego GTX which is just as much a hatch as an Astra Mk II GTE - it handled very well but the 2.0 engine was uninspiring and I never got to sample the Turbo.
The original "old" R5 Gordini was one I never got to try either but it was supposed to be good.
I also had a Renault Fuego GTX which is just as much a hatch as an Astra Mk II GTE - it handled very well but the 2.0 engine was uninspiring and I never got to sample the Turbo.
The original "old" R5 Gordini was one I never got to try either but it was supposed to be good.
Riggers said:
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 
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, 0 to 60 6.6 secs and 125 mph for a standard car, the rally cars were 5 secs. Outright victories on the Arctic Rally, Mille Pistes, Lombard RAC and Codasur (Argentina) rallies were combined with numerous class wins that culminated with victory in the World Rally Championship for Makes in 1981.
Roono said:
Regarding the vRS, EVO magazine said something like 'it is not the car you would get up early on a Sunday morning to drive'. I would agree. It is a really good car, does everything well. But has no soul. Now the 205 Mi16 over 4500rpm...
Couldn't agree more. Was very capable, but never felt fun. Just gripped and went reasonably quick. Golf on the other hand couldn't be more different. I actually choose to go the windy way to work which I never did in the Skoda.Always wanted a 145 Cloverleaf but couldn't afford one when they were new, so bought a 33 Permanent 4 instead. What a mistake that was!!!!
And is it just me, or were the MG ZS 180 and the 2011 WRX STI saloon separated at birth?
And one more point, you forgot the 1992-1996 Honda Civic VTi. One of the best hot hatches Honda ever made but often forgotten in favour of the later Type Rs.
And is it just me, or were the MG ZS 180 and the 2011 WRX STI saloon separated at birth?
And one more point, you forgot the 1992-1996 Honda Civic VTi. One of the best hot hatches Honda ever made but often forgotten in favour of the later Type Rs.
I remember back in the late '90s a good mate of mine had a couple of seriously rapid BX 16-valvers while I had a seriously wobbly Fiat Croma Turbo ie (complete with a DIY bleed valve and even more torque steer than standard), and we both had a load of fun hammering around the dual carriageways around the St Albans area. We used to embarrass plenty of Golf GTis, RS Turbos, etc in straight line, although avoided twisty roads for obvious reasons ;-)
I've recently bought myself a Mk1 Octavia VRS, and while it does lack some B-road appeal it does make for a superb real world hot hatch. It's beautifully built, there's plenty of room for the kids and all their gear, it's a great cruiser on the motorways and it averages an easy 35mpg. Plus a remap and subtle exhaust system completely transforms the car's personality!
I've recently bought myself a Mk1 Octavia VRS, and while it does lack some B-road appeal it does make for a superb real world hot hatch. It's beautifully built, there's plenty of room for the kids and all their gear, it's a great cruiser on the motorways and it averages an easy 35mpg. Plus a remap and subtle exhaust system completely transforms the car's personality!
I've fond memories of the BX having served my time with Citroen in the early 90's,
I loved the TZD, GTI and the 16v
Have occasionally looked for a 16v but haven’t been able to find one for sale.
The BX TZD Hurricane looked like the 16v but had a 1.7 D Turbo engine with bags of torque.
If the break's pause before they start to grip it sounds like you have air in the break lines.
A quick bleed should sort it out, (just be careful with those rear bleed nipples).
The breaks should be fairly progressive.
I loved the TZD, GTI and the 16v
Have occasionally looked for a 16v but haven’t been able to find one for sale.
The BX TZD Hurricane looked like the 16v but had a 1.7 D Turbo engine with bags of torque.
If the break's pause before they start to grip it sounds like you have air in the break lines.
A quick bleed should sort it out, (just be careful with those rear bleed nipples).
The breaks should be fairly progressive.
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