Author: Adam Weller

Hot hatches offer a compelling combination of practicality and performance that buyers can’t seem to get enough of.

These days, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world where we don’t have sporty hatchbacks, such is their beloved, revered status among car enthusiasts.

Inevitably, dozens of discussions happen in offices, race circuits and pubs across the world, all of which centre around the hot hatches that stand out from the rest.

Here’s our list of hot hatches that define the breed; yes, we’ve tried to rank the best hot hatches of all-time, and considering there’s so much to choose from, it wasn’t easy. But we had a go…

Honda Civic Type-R (EP3)

In 2001, the second generation Honda Civic Type-R was released – the first to be built at Honda’s Swindon plant.

The 197bhp Type-R was one of the few great hot hatches of the early-2000’s, becoming renowned for its eager, near-constant three-wheeling while steering at the limit, with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson remarking that the car was ‘cocking its leg’ much like a small dog.

The car was a serial award winner among the motoring press, and cemented the Civic Type-R as a prime hot hatch after the previous success of the EK9.

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

Lancia suffered a well documented fall in reputation at the tail-end of the 20^th century. However, during the 80s and early 90s, the Italian firm achieved many of its greatest sporting accomplishments in rallying.

The car that provided much of that success was the Lancia Delta HF Integrale, which won three World Rally Championship titles in 1988, 1989 and 1991.

The road-going version of the rally car retained its four-wheel-drive system, as well as much of its handling prowess and performance ability. The Lancia Delta HF Integrale is not only a great hot hatch, but also one of the best race-bred road cars the world has seen.

Ford Fiesta XR2

From its launch in 1976, the Fiesta was lauded as a significant source of driving fun, and as such, it was a prime platform for a hot hatch.

And sure enough, for the second generation of the Fiesta, the XR2 was a winner all round. While it is not the most powerful hot hatch, at just 96bhp, it is one of the best-loved and most purposeful-looking cars of the era.

While performance was limited by Ford itself to protect the Escort’s performance credibility, the XR2 has still gone down as a hot hatch icon.

Renaultsport Megane R26.R

While cars like the aforementioned Lancia Delta are racers calmed down for the road, the Megane R26.R took an exciting road car and turned it up to 11 in honour of one of Renault’s most successful Formula One cars of all time.

In 2006, Renault took its second consecutive Formula One World Championship with their R26, and Fernando Alonso at the wheel. The R26.R was a hardened version of the previously-launched Megane Renault F1 Team R26 launched to commemorate the F1 successes.

The R26.R was to the Megane range what the Porsche GT3 RS is to 911’s – lightened, hardened and styled for the track. With 123kg shed from the 1,355kg R26, the ‘R’ version proved to be one of the most potent hot hatches of the late-2000’s, and also one of the rarest, with just 450 examples produced.

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus

The Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is an oddball in the hot hatch world, as it is rear-wheel drive.

Honed by the famed Norfolk-based sportscar firm, this 150bhp, 960kg hatchback could hit 60mph from standstill in less than seven seconds, a figure which holds up as impressive to this day.

While the Sunbeam Lotus is rather forgotten compared to the likes of the Golf GTI, its brilliant chassis and rear-wheel drive layout make it a standout hot hatch driving experience.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth

 

The best Ford ‘Cossie’ was, for our money, the last one.

After the incredible Sierra RS Cosworth allowed Ford to compete in Group A rallying and touring car racing at the tail-end of the 1980s, it was inevitable that a successor would have to come, as the regulations for the World Rally Championship still required the production of 2,500 homologation specials.

The result was the Escort RS Cosworth. With four-wheel drive, 227bhp and that incredible whale-tail spoiler, it soon became the envy of a generation.

The car was infinitely upgradeable, incredibly butch from a styling standpoint, and one last example of the Escort’s potential before the model was consigned to the history books.

Renault Clio Williams

 

In the mid-90s, Williams and Renault were all-dominant in Formula One, and also in touring car racing, with their incredible Laguna Super Tourer.

With such strong collaboration between the legendary race team and the French manufacturer, a road-going car was inevitable, and when it came, it was truly phenomenal.

This car was yet another homologation special for the secondary WRC ‘Kit Car’ class of rallying, and to ensure the road-going version was as good as it could be, nearly 150bhp was on tap, suspension borrowed from a Clio race car, and the folks at Williams had the chance to tinker with the sub-1000kg pocket rocket.

To many fans of hot hatches, the iconic Metallic Sports Blue and Gold wheels of the Clio Williams define the breed. It is a spectacular machine.

Volkswagen Golf GTI MK1

We couldn’t not include the car that serves as the origin of the GTI badge, the MK1 Golf GTI.

When this arrived in 1975, the hot hatch recipe was fresh and new. This phenomenal product of Wolfsburg was both practical and pacey, weighed just 810kg, and would perform all the light, rear-wheel cocking B-road handling you could ever dream of.

While its performance is tame in this day and age, the handling still holds up, and while other manufacturers would try different methods early on, this car would prove to be the mould for all hot hatches going forward.

Mini Cooper S

If the Golf is the original GTI, the Mini Cooper S is the progenitor of all GTIs and hot hatches as a whole.

The car, particularly with the most popular 1275cc engine, has all the key ingredients of a hot hatch. It is lightweight, and thanks to that, its 76bhp packs quite the punch. The handling is wonderful, and as a plus, the car has serious racing pedigree thanks to the exploits of Paddy Hopkirk at events such as the Monte Carlo Rally.

Of course, it also became a movie star in The Italian Job, and went on to be a symbol of all things British. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most iconic cars of all time.

Peugeot 205 GTi

The MK2 VW Golf GTI took the original version’s recipe and improved upon it to an impressive degree. The world knew it would take something special to knock the Golf off of its perch, and Peugeot went for the jugular with something very special indeed.

The 205 GTi is another lightweight, superbly-fettled hatch with more than enough power to classify it as a daily use missile. While the handling of the car is superb, we think it’s the engines that really made the car special, with the revvy, hyperactive 1.6 and the slightly less vigorous 1.9 with superior pull, both being wonderful motors.

Over 30 years after launch, the 205 GTi is still a benchmark which many hot hatches are put up against, and if that isn’t the mark of an all-time great, we don’t know what is.

Unless you’re an established name with heritage, you have to be innovative when you launch a supercar. The car has to look good, and it has to hit new heights of performance in exciting ways that differentiate it from the competition.

That, of course, is easier said than done, and even big manufacturers occasionally miss their targets when producing a supercar.

This list looks at six supercars that failed to deliver the features, figures – or perhaps even, any cars – that were promised to enthusiasts and customers alike.

Jaguar XJ220

The Jaguar XJ220 created buzz en mass when it was unveiled at the British International Motor Show in 1988. The press and the public were in unanimous approval, and several of the show’s elite visitors handed blank cheques to Jaguar, such was their excitement.

However, when the production version arrived in 1992, one critical element was missing; the 6.2-litre V12 engine showcased in the concept car. The motor was replaced by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6, which originally sat in the Metro 6R4 Group B rally car.

The car was still extremely quick for its day, but with the economy on the rocks at the time, and the car being different from what many early customers had seen in 1988, the XJ220 did not sell as Jaguar had hoped.

Consulier GTP

Believe it or not, this strange looking machine was one of America’s best performance car offerings in the early 90’s.

With less than 200bhp from a 2.2-Litre inline-four engine sourced from Chrysler, it was not a car for sheer, raw power. However, thanks to weighing just 998kg, it was surprisingly fast. In fact, company owner Warren Mosler decided to offer $25,000 to anyone who could perform a faster lap than the GTP in another road car, at any US racetrack in the country.

Car & Driver Magazine took up the challenge and beat it using a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette. However, Mosler claimed that the GTP used in the test was old and worn out from use at a racing school, and thus, he never paid up.

Ferrari F50

Why was the F50 a disappointment? In large part, because it had to follow on from the iconic F40.

On reflection, the shape of the F50 has become dated in rather short order. It is a very 90’s shape, and not the kind that has aged to perfection. The other issue was harping on about how much of the car was sourced from the 1990 Ferrari F1 racer – it set up aspirations of performance that the finished product simply could not live up to.

It was only going to be a car that failed to deliver the promise of a successor to the F40. The F50 really is a great supercar, but it’ll never be iconic.

Keating – all of them

Keating is the ultimate in supercar vapourware. Whether it’s the questionably stuck together Bolt, the new Berus (pictured), or the SKR/TKR/ZKR series of supercars shown in the late 2000’s, Keating has repeatedly shown willing, but never seems to get the job done. A majority of these cars have never been driven, and from what we can tell, very few if any have been sold.

Supercar vapourware is extremely common, but few are so consistently ambitious, with such consistently non-existent results.

MG XPower SV

The MG XPower SV was an odd beast. It looked insane, was rather more sedate than its styling would have you believe, and claimed to be a supercar when it was really more of a muscle car.

The car produced just 320bhp, though a later SV-R specification upped that figure to 385bhp. A factory-fitted nitrous kit was announced among a raft of ‘Club Sport’ specifications, though none of these go-faster options were ever made available before MG shut down in 2005, just two years after the XPower SV entered production.

Audi R8 TDI

The Audi R8 defied any and all sceptics when it was released in 2006, and did so even more when a V10 version debuted in 2008.

The ‘R8’ name is a nod to Audi’s Le Mans racing heritage. As the R8 road car was in its infancy, Audi were taking on Le Mans and winning, using a V12 diesel engine in the new R10. With this in mind, Audi also wanted to place a similar V12 into the R8 road car.

This idea entered development, but never made it to production due to the engineering challenges of fitting the engine into the R8. In light of today’s diesel climate, perhaps it’s for the best that this R8 variant never made it to production.

A rare vintage Porsche worth £500,000 has been stolen from an underground car park in Pimlico, Central London.

The car’s owner, businessman, racing driver and classic car dealer David Clark, discovered on Saturday that his light yellow 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, one of just 1,580 ever built, had vanished.

It is unknown exactly when the theft actually took place as Clark had been abroad for several weeks with his Jota Sport racing team, but the police are in possession of CCTV from the car park and are currently searching for footage of the moment the crime was committed.

Clark told MSN Cars: “I don’t know when it went missing. I last saw it several weeks ago, because I’ve been away doing races and other bits around the world.”

Clark estimated that his car is worth upwards of £500,000, though similar examples have sold for more than £600,000 at auctions in recent times.

According to Clark, the Porsche, which he described as ‘‘a really, really lovely car,’’ was purchased for his driving pleasure rather than as an investment.

He believes the thieves knew the significance of the car, after conversations with friends in the industry.

“I’ve asked around, and the consensus is it was likely stolen to order,” he said.

“I think these people are pros. One guy I spoke to knows all about this and he said it was probably a professional thing and that I had no chance. They’re just too good, whether it was an hour, a day, a week or more.”

Clark, a successful businessman in many areas including aviation and motorsport, has owned the Taylor & Crawley classic car dealership for more than 30 years.

Clark is an avid historic racer, with iconic cars such as the (recently sold) McLaren F1 GTR and Aston Martin DP214 in his collection. In addition, he was a director at McLaren from 1994-1998.

The Porsche’s number plate is VOY 356L, with the chassis number 9113601175. As per a Silverstone Auctions listing of the car from a previous ownership, the engine number is 6631147. As the car was initially sold in Germany, it is left-hand drive.

Clark has said that a reward will be granted to anyone who can help him track down his beloved Porsche.

Since launching to the UK in 1993, the Vauxhall Corsa has become a staple of UK roads, with two million examples of the hatch sold since its debut.

The Corsa’s predecessor, the Nova, was one of Britain’s most popular hatches throughout the 1980’s. However, by the end of it’s run, the Nova – sold as the Opel Corsa in Europe – was starting to look decidedly dated against rivals such as the Ford Fiesta.

Fortunately, a replacement was in the pipeline…

Vauxhall Corsa B (1993-2000)

With the introduction of the Corsa in 1993, Vauxhall up-ended the hatchback market, with the cars curving, modern style proving to be a sales hit, and cemented the nameplate’s reputation as a dependable car for small families and young drivers alike.

The Corsa gradually evolved throughout the 90’s with minor facelifts, before being replaced in 2000. However, the design lived on for many years in the Chinese and South American markets.

Vauxhall Corsa C (2000-2006)

The second UK Corsa was launched in October 2000, and proved to be everything a sequel should be; bigger, sharper and more modern, with more trim and engine options than the previous generation.

The second-generation car proved that the Corsa was here to stay. It was the most popular supermini on the market from 2002-2005, before production stopped in 2006. It was also one of the best-selling cars of any type in the UK, a feat which the Corsa has continually achieved ever since.

This generation of the Corsa, and the early examples of the Corsa D that followed, are still vastly popular with young drivers thanks to their cheap running costs and insurance.

Vauxhall Corsa D (2006-2014)

When the Corsa D arrived on the market in the latter half of 2006, it was clear that the Corsa had evolved. An all-new platform and new, sweeping styling provided a sleeker, sportier edge to the Corsa. This was further accentuated by a facelift in 2010.

The Corsa D was the first to be bestowed with a VXR badge. The hot hatch launched in 2007 with 189bhp on tap and 0-60 in 6.8secs. However, those figures went up with special editions such as the VXR Nürburgring.

The Corsa D was on the market for some eight years, and as such, is the longest-running Corsa thus far, which is a further testament to its design.

Vauxhall Corsa E (2014-Present)

Much like the shift between the first and second-generation, the current Corsa is an evolution of its predecessor, rather than a clean slate.

The styling was altered to be more in line with the other stars of the Vauxhall range, with a larger, more striking grille, and an entirely revised look inside and out.

To this day, the Corsa is still one of the biggest-selling cars in the United Kingdom, and will likely continue to feature prominently on the sales charts for the next 25 years as well.

For many supercar buyers, the sheer thrill of owning one of the most sought-after, mind-bogglingly fast cars on the market is more than enough.

However, for some, an ‘off the shelf’ supercar is just not enough. Various owners wish to have a car completely bespoke, unlike anything else in the world. For that ownership experience, you usually have to start looking at the aftermarket scene – but not if you’re a customer of McLaren.

McLaren’s Special Operations department is a hotbed of unique supercars for deep-pocketed customers – here are six of the best MSO creations we’ve seen so far.

McLaren MSO R

Much like so many of the MSO projects, this car is extremely rare. It is a two-off, with one coupe and one convertible both being owned by one wealthy enthusiast.

679bhp is emitted from McLaren’s trademark twin-turbo 3.8 litre V8 engine, and aggressive aerodynamics set it apart form the 675LT on which it was based.

McLaren 650S Le Mans

With styling cues taken from the iconic No.59 Kokusai Aihatsu Racing McLaren F1 GTR that won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995, this special 650S was a striking limited edition model. Just 50 were produced.

While the stealthy paintwork is striking, the five-spoke ‘Le Mans Edition’ wheels designed to evoke the aforementioned Le Mans-winning F1 GTR are equally as impressive.

McLaren MSO X

If you think of McLaren’s equivalent to the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, it could well look something like this. The MSO X is visually identical to the 570S GT4 race car, and while it is obviously somewhat softer to comply with road laws, it is still an evidently more hard-core take on the 570S, with a stripped out interior and a lot more downforce.

Just ten examples of the MSO X were made available for customers of McLaren’s largest US retailer, all of which were sold by the time the model became public knowledge.

McLaren MSO HS

The McLaren 675LT received another raft of go-faster accessories for the MSO HS, a hardcore version limited to 25 examples. The specs make familiar reading when compared to the MSO R further up the page; 679bhp is the headline figure once again, with 40kg of weight shaved from the base 675LT.

An active rear wing and front aero make this yet another example of McLaren wanting to squeeze every hallmark of its racing heritage onto its road cars.

McLaren X-1

The X-1 was one of the first MSO cars to receive widespread attention, and you can see why. This car, which started out its life as an MP4-12C, has been heavily re-styled and softened up to be less track-focused. Why would they move away from its performance? Well, the McLaren customer who decided to turn their supercar into a black swan on wheels is unlikely to head to Laguna Seca anytime soon.

This car is a 1 of 1 model, meaning that only a select few will ever see it in the flesh.

McLaren 720S Dubai

You guessed it, another 1 of 1.

The 720S Dubai is largely untouched in terms of specs, however, the car features gold and carbon fibre with the prominence you’d expect, with one particularly nice touch on the cars rear wing. Painted in gold on said wing is a quote from company founder Bruce McLaren, translated to Arabic; “life is measured in achievement, not in years alone”.

And, with it being common knowledge that Bruce McLaren wanted to see his upstart racing team become a manufacturer of road cars before his tragic death in 1970, it is nice to see such unique, bespoke cars coming from McLaren’s Woking base with regularity, and to plentiful acclaim.