AS FUEL prices soared during the 1970s, traditional performance cars in many parts of the world became untenable. Not only did big engines consume lots of increasingly costly fuel, new government restrictions and taxes conspired to take most of the fun out of motoring. Manufacturers in Europe, the UK and then Japan sought to change the game, creating a new class of small, fast and economical cars that earned the generic tag ‘Hot Hatch’.
Australia, with our love of big engines and ambivalence towards rising petrol prices, never really got involved in the Hot Hatch movement, so the closest we got to a 1970s Hot Hatch might have been an SS Torana.
The cars featured here should really be reflecting those early days of compact hatchback production, but most that were here are gone and benchmark models like the Renault 5 Turbo and Ford Escort XR3i weren’t even sold in Australia.
Nor were early versions of the Golf GTi and the ones we saw during the early 1990s were detuned parodies of the original. Our only viable link to 1980s European Hot Hatch design is the Peugeot 205GTi and very few of those survive.
Japan arrived later than Europe to the Hot Hatch party, but still contributed some memorable cars. One, the Pulsar GTi-R, survives in sufficient numbers to warrant a review, while the DNA of similar designs continues to influence 21st Century models like the Mazda MPS, Honda Civic Type R and, most recently, the Toyota Yaris GR.
VW GOLF GTI TURBO
FOR DECADES the doyen of hot-hatch design, VW’s GTi Hatch had fallen well off the pace by the time the centuries changed.
Australia hadn’t seen a GTi in years, then in 1999 a five-door version with 110kW arrived. It wasn’t fast or flash but did remind people here of the cars that had ruled autobahns and motorways during the fuel-shocked 1970-80s.
Five years later, our 1.8 Golf Turbo became a 2.0-litre with 147kWand six-speed manual as standard, with six-speed DSG semi-auto at extra cost. An auto GTi in 2005 listed at $42,295, but for people who thought their performance hatch should actually perform there was another Golf with an R32 emblem.
These arrived in 2004 as a very limited, 3.2-litre V6 edition of the Mk 4 Golf at an initial cost of $63,000. Track down one of these177kW beasts today and its value will likely have declined by less than half.
In 2006 a Mk 5 version of the GTi arrived, with R32s offering a7kW power increase and price reduction of $7000. These are less valuable in today’s market than the Mk 4 though, with excellent V6s costing $13-18,000.
Four-cylinder GTis of similar age and condition are cheaper again, with good Mk 5 automatics at
$7500-10,000.
RENAULT CLIO SPORT
THIS MAGAZINE loves its sporty Renaults and over the years we have featured a few, but never looked hard at the Clio Sport. Anyone in the market for a sporty and affordable hatch definitely should.
Pre-2011 versions aren’t common here but not expensive either, given their performance potential. Two litres and 124kW might not sound startling, but when you consider that an early Sport before adding fuel or people weighed just 1035kg it starts making sense.
Following a sales hiatus from 2006-08, the Clio came back, with197 versions delivering more power, features including climate control A/C and a six-speed manual gearbox.
Top of the Clio Sport pile, yet still priced at less than $40,000 was the limited-edition Gordini 200. It came with Brembo brakes and in traditional blue with white stripe Gordini colours but finding one could be difficult.
Clio Sports of this era cost $33,000-40,000 and given the disastrous retained values that afflict some Renaults, Sport versions have done well to preserve 30-35 per cent of their original list pricing.
FORD FOCUS XR5 TURBO
IN 2006 a version of the Focus that echoed XR3i Escorts and TX3Lasers of old and took Ford’s small car, to the head of the Hot Hatch pack.
Power came from an unusual but well-credentialled source. Volvo supplied a five-cylinder with turbocharger and 166kW. Completing the package was a six-speed gearbox, massive brakes and 18-inch alloy wheels. When new, the turbocharged XR5 rated as one of the world’s best front-wheel drive compacts.
Its grip without all-wheel drive was questioned, but traction control working in unison with 40-Profile rubber helped get all that grunt to the road. Even without AWD, theXR5 wasn’t a lightweight and challenged by its 1442kg took seven seconds to reach 100km/h. Once underway it was a rocket in the mid-range that would match an XR6T Falcon or Subaru’s lighter WRX.
The engine will operate okay on 95RON Premium fuel but reportedly can deliver an extra18kW when fed 98 octane. Low-kilometre examples aren’t hard to find or expensive. Less than $10.000 buys one in average condition.
NISSAN PULSAR GTi-R
NISSAN BUILT its Pulsar-based GTi-R as a contender for Group A rally competition, only to find rivals like Toyota’s Celica GT4 and the Subaru Legacy Turbo were delivering greater pace and reliability. Nissan persevered with its Pulsar throughout 1991 and into1992, recording a best of third place in the Swedish World Rally Championship round, but lots of DNFs as well.
While the GTi-R missed its chance at WRC glory and didn’t really try to contest Australian events, early imports still brought smiles to suburban rat runners.
In a body weighing just 1240akg, the intercooled SR20 engine easily delivered 169kW and would hit7500rpm before the rev-limiter chattered into life. From 0-100km/h took 6.6 seconds, and the GTi-R could reach225km/h. With lots of weight up front, the chunky Nissan was prone to understeer and obliged serious users to hone their left-foot braking skills to keep control through slippery bends.
Thirty years after the first ones arrived, Australia continues to see fresh cars from Japan’s apparently inexhaustible supply of GTi-Rs. Prices have increased though, with retail values now above $40,000and in line with the $20-24.000 wholesale prices seen at recent Japanese auctions.
MAZDA MPS
A FEW months back we looked in detail at Mazda’s 323 AWD Turbo. Those cars, built more than 30 years ago, were designed to succeed in global rallying, but the MPS, kitted out in a smart business suit, was a compact turbo intended to excite urban Mazda buyers.
The MPS was based on Mazda’s record-setting 3, but with a2.3-litre intercooled turbo engine. Six-speed manual transmission was standard and hard-working traction control did its best to dial out wheelspin and torque steer.
When driven with verve on dry sealed roads the MPS could match the agility of All-Wheel Drive rivals. Australia saw its first MPS in 2006, with cars available in base or Sport trim. Both came with 18-inch alloy wheels and lots of features, but the almost $5000 extra charged for Sport versions, helped pay for leather trim and other goodies.
A Luxury version was added in 2009. In today’s market, distance travelled, and service history seem more relevant than whether it has leather, ensuring cars that have only covered 5000-8000 kilometres a year can bring 50 per cent more money than those showing a more typical 15,000km annually.