? what other 80s cars could take gti

do any know what was quickest in the 80s  ie xr2  xr3i  gte  ren 5 and on :dontknow:

Don't know if it qualifies as it's bigger and RWD but the 2.8i Capri could shift.

hot hatch :dontknow:

Peugeot 205 GTi, Renault GT Turbo, BMW 325i were all quicker than the Mk1 Golf Gti In standard form of course!

R5 GT Turbo would have a GTi
Sunbeam Lotus would spank a GTi

XR3i would be slower, but the RS Turbo would b e quicker.

Astra GTE quicker.

MG Meastro 2.0 quicker but the old 1600 slower.

205 GTI 1.6 & 1.9 should be faster…

There were lots of little pocket rockets that are all starting to gain big cult followings…

And I hate to say it, but I recon the Nova will start to shine soon. It's past the CHAV stage and moving into the enthusiast stage..

TT

Lotus Sunbeam and Maestro Turbo come to mind.

In the beginning there was the Golf GTI and it was the only one. Then the Ford Escort XR3 came along, followed by Vauxhall Astra GTE. Neither were as fast. (Alfasud was before GTI but wasn't a hatchback until after). Then others tried and failed, I believe the first to actually be faster was the Fiat Strada 130TC, possibly followed by the Escort RS Turbo, then Pug 205 GTI 1.9, which did increase the stakes. The Lancia Delta performance versions made another step change in performance later on, too.

got the picture ops:  still we were the first

I think the first true hot hatch was the Simca 100 in 1967.

cheers kins    you made my nite

divweir said

cheers kins    you made my nite

Sorry mate. :cry: Hey we don't need to be 1st… we are the coolest. 8)

In reality the golf GTI's up to the G60 & VR6 was introduced were not particulaly quick cars.

My ford Scorpio is quicker to 60 and faster overall than my m8's MK2 16V

What they did have was gr8 build, reliably, handling . It was the full package that everyone else struggled to do back then..

TT

Simca 100 is a new one on me! Are you sure it was hot?

paul_c said

Simca 100 is a new one on me! Are you sure it was hot?

In it's day I guess it was.

The mk2 Astra GTE 16v gave the MK2 Golf a run for it's money in the late 80's, with 2.0 litres and 150 bhp out of the box. That engine is favourite with the racing/rallying boys as it can be retrofitted into pretty much anything - Escorts, Mantas and Chevettes, and is safe for well over 200bhp. Some have said that this 4 cylinder mass produced engine is the best ever made - shame about the gearbox!)

The original Mk1 Astra GTE was 1.8litres and 115bhp, and preceded the 1.8 Golf GTI, so for a while that was seen as king by some. That engine found it's way into the Cavalier, and started the race for ever faster rep mobiles.

The 1.6 Peugoet 205 GTI debued in '84, and was a gem, with superb handling and a strong engine. A 205 will out drive any standard GTI down a country lane, but it is doubtful if it would be any quicker than a fettled MK1 Golf. Of course the 1.9 205 GTI with 130 bhp was a fine car. And 205's were well made - the fact that fewer survive today is more to do with the Golf's fan base than the 205's build quality (better than a Renault 5).

The only MK3 Escort worth a mention is the RS1600i, if only for it's rarity.
By Ford's own admission the XR3 and XR3i were their attempt at recreating the Golf, and they never quite got it right. The RS1600i was a harder, less compromised car built for homologation. The RS Turbo, again was a harder car and has it's place, but had it's issues like torque steer and rust.

The Fiat Strada 130 and Abarth used the famous Fiat twin cam (another favourite in motorsport), the Polo class 1.3 Mk1 Renault 5 Alpine/Gordini and Gordini Turbo (110bhp) and the 1.4 MK2 R5 Turbo - all interesting cars, but how many are left?. Of course the mid engined R5 turbo 1 and turbo 2 are in a different league, built for homolagation, and are very expensive collectable cars now.

MG Maestro 1.6 r series and s series and the 2.0l o series all but got used up in the Maestro Challenge, but the last MG Maestro was Turboed (from the Montego) and is worth a second glance.

When the MK1 Golf first saw the light of day in 1974, Italy's Alfa Sud (with 1.2/1.3 and 1.5 boxer engines) was perhaps it's nearest rival, in terms of size and ability. Britain had the Allegro (1100/1300 and 1500/1750) which was not a hatch, and France had the Citroen GS fastback 4 door saloon which had a 1.3 litre boxer engine (it was actually a British Leyland design study of the 1100/1300 replacement, cast off in favour of what became the Allegro).

The MK1 Jetta catered for the rear wheel drive saloon Escort, Marina/Ital, Dolomite, Cavalier buyer, and the Scirocco was up against the Alfa Sprint, Capri and Manta.  

That was just about it, so you can judge for yourself how ground breaking the simple MK1 package actually was.

Of course, pretty soon after (by 1978), the Fiat Strada and Talbot Horizon (car of the year 1978) were launched. The Astra arrived in '79 and the front wheel drive Escort hatch in 1980 - six years after the Golf, and the Maestro came in 1983. VW had everyone else in a sweat.

The Golf has been blamed for the demise of the MGB (how come the MX5 is so popular?), but BL did that by giving the TR7 preferential treatment in America. (The MG owners club is the latest in the world.)

Many folk had their reasons for not choosing a Veedub, but the fact remains, like old MG's, old VW's don't die…

But you can buy a complete MGB shell off the shelf  Brand Spankin New…



TT

The first hot hatch - Austin A40 with a Mini Cooper S 1275 twin SU carb A series engine. I bet someone did it (BMC didn't) - it would have been rude not to…

there's a wikipedia article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_hatch which gives a good idea of what was around, who was the first with links to most of the cars mentioned if you want more information.

the most noteable quote is "The design most often considered to have started the hot hatch genre is the 1977 Volkswagen Golf GTI" although the article considers the Simca 1100 to technically be the first.

so . . .

The Golf may not have been the first, but it was the golf that started the term 'hot hatch' so IMO as the term didn't exist before the golf, any cars before it that fit the genre can't be considered hot hatches as the genre of car didn't technically exist then!!   :mrgreen:

Make you feel better thinking of it that way divweir?  :mrgreen:

Mike.

stephentazz said

The first hot hatch - Austin A40 with a Mini Cooper S 1275 twin SU carb A series engine. I bet someone did it (BMC didn't) - it would have been rude not to…

downton A40 farina.

My dad used to work for Fiat back in the day and I remember him taking me out  in Strada 130TC, that was one rapid car!!! But they have all rusted away now??