With all this talk about hot hatches recently I mentioned that a lot of mundane cars nowadays have exterior styling that would be found only on a hot hatch years ago, but when I thought about it, I realised theres always been a market in "pretend" GTis for young drivers. All they need is to look like the faster models, fun and looks are a bonus, they need to be super cheap to run too. Heres my top 5:
1. Peugeot 205 XS - great handling (arguably purer than the GTi due to lighter engine block and front subframe), similar interior to the GTI, faster than any 8 valve 1.4 on carbs has any right to be!
2. 1000cc Mini (old one, not the BMW one) - not technically a hatch, but cheap, timeless, fun and exceptionally cool regardless of whether it was a "Cooper" or not.
3. Fiat Punto mk2 Sporting - not that great for ride/handling but the 1.2 litre engine is zippier than it's claimed 80BHP would suggest and sounds better the more you rev it. Six speed gearbox lets you pretend you're Schumacher. Cheap, lots of equipment, looks fantastic, nice interior, extremely safe and a fantastic stereo. Ideal first car.
4. VW Golf driver - not that much fun, but it looked good, and was reliable, meaning students could spend money on beer, not repairs (though hopefully not before driving!)
5. Fiat Cinquecento sporting - hilarious little italian tin box. Not very fast at all, but if learners can have fun at low speeds, the better for all concerned.
(You'll notice I've left out cars like the Saxo VTR or SportKa with their 1.6 litre engines, but I reckon the running costs of these get closer to "proper" hot hatches like a 106 GTi)
Yup, both the 500 and 600 Sporting are a riot to drive. They can be made to hustle along on windy roads, but your have to change gear constantly to keep in on cam.
They can quite happily hold their own on motorways, but everyone HAS to be past you. Anyway, that's not really what they're all about.
The gf loved the one I used to get as a loan car that she had to have one.
cinq sporting visa gt fiat 127 gt clio rsi sportka...this car more than any other i feel is the successor to the original hot mini..wheel at each corner, compact, chuckable, forgiving...and you can have almost as much fun in ANY ka..it doesnt have to be a sportka...great wee cars..
civic 1.6 v-tec se 3dr golf mk3/4 2.0 gti yaris t-sport vw beetle 1.8T corsa sri
-------------------------------------------- Two junior particle physicists were dismissed today after using the Large Hadron Collider to smash conkers into each other at near-light speed.
I learnt to drive in my mothers banana yellow 127 Sport. It had a brilliant engine, but the tin worm got a hold of it eventually and they syncro on 2nd was goosed. It did teach me about clutchless changes. She used to call it the "FIAT worse than death". It used to look quite sporty on Colway forest tyres.
My mum had a 127 too, before I was quite old enough to drive. Plain white standard model, one of the older chrome bumper ones rather than the later plastic bumper jobs.
& you can still get 127's today, in modified form as a zastava - definitely not hot hatches though
-------------------------------------------- Two junior particle physicists were dismissed today after using the Large Hadron Collider to smash conkers into each other at near-light speed.
Vauxhall Nova 1.3 SR, 1.4 SR, 1.4 SRi. SEAT Arosa 1.4 Sport (100 bhp) Peugeot 306 D Turbo (I think there was a late 205 & 206 versions like this too - clever bit of marketing!) Subaru Impreza 2.0 Sport Citroen AX GT, GTi
Originally posted by queenjane: mini clubman 1275GT?
Beet me to it, there QJ!
Did you ever notice that a lot of these cars were sold to little "old dears" to potter around with. I alwys wonder how the salesman did it - "Here you are, my dear, no point in buying a boring Mini 850 when you can have a 1275GT! Does wonders for your street cred!"
I'm not a fan of French cars - hence, I would never buy anything from Peugeot, Citroen or Renault. But I have to say that certain variants of the Renault Clio are very, very quick! Almost too quick for what they are. In my previous Boxster and my current 530i, I have had what looks like a basic Clio in my rear view mirror up my ar$e and i've tried to accelerate hard to create a gap but the Clio kept up with me with ease.
Obviously the driver was a complete tw*t but I was impressed with the cars pace.
original xr2 quite pretty in a retro chic kinda way...also nove 1.3/1.4 sr/sri and gte...warmish, decent fun...also mk1 astra sr1600....absolute cracking wee car wi full recaro etc...all gone?..never liked any of the other hot fiestas, 'cept the rs turbo and rs1800..these were brutal wee devices and by god they WENT...probably too fast for their chassis and brakes, but hey.....new st is a nice wee car too....i think the 100 engine as fitted to minis was possibly the best choice..sweeter and freer reving, it was a quick wee lump...remember the 100 mini specials of the 80s...usuall in a pinky/rose metallic colour....
1) golf gti mk4/mk3 -rubbish fake!! 2)sport ka-girly and not at all fast 3)astra sport -rubbish boring looks 4)ford escort gti-fat 5) i like the looks but it is shite
1) Peugeot 306 XS - 1.6 litre, with all the sporty add-ons (except alloys) of the 306 S16. The 306 was Peugeot's last truly great drivers car.
2) VW Golf SE - Mark 3, 1.4, looked like the GTI of the day, with the wheelarch extensions, but with a wimpy 1.4, it was a true pretend GTI. Saying that, the 115 bhp 8v 'GTI' wasn't much quicker!
3) Astra SXi - the current version, looks great, especially the 3dr.
4) Peugeot 205 XS - need I say anymore.
5) Renault 5 GTX - slightmly less sporting looking than the mighty GT Turbo, but a great little pretend GTI.
Originally posted by biggbn: y10 turbo and delta gt...
Ah biggbn, the White Hen, now theres a forgotten shoe-box-on-wheels...
Lancia did quite well here with that in the 80s, i definitely saw a few of them on the roads. It had a different colored tailgate to the rest of the car - which was weird. Imagine today walking into a showroom to find a brand new car with a black tailgate! Bizzarre but people bought them... and they were quite reliable too.
