The hot hatch is like the Swiss army knife of the motoring world - they're fast, practical, good looking and cheap to run. There's a lot to love about hot hatches and that is why they are my favourite type of cars. If someone said to me I could only own hot hatches for the rest of my life I'd pretty happy with that. But where did it all start? Many people would assume that the first ever hot hatch was the Volkswagen Golf GTI, but they'd be wrong.
Simca 1100TI - Genesis
Meet the world's first hot hatch, isn't she a looker? Yeah ok, point taken. It may not look much and thanks to its top speed speed of 105mph, it's not what you'd call fast either. 0-60 wasn't much better either as the 1.3 litre 82bhp engine carried the 1100TI to 60mph in a yawn-inducing 12 seconds or so. But like anything in life, you have to start somewhere.
This pocket rocket genesis never hit the UK which is probably why you may not be aware of its existence. It was based on the standard 1100 model but technical upgrades such as a reinforced clutch, firmer shock absorbers and bigger brakes were installed. Far from the standards of today's hot hatches but they have this car to thank for kicking it all off.
Actually, on second glance, it's quite good looking if you ask me. It's got a plucky charm about it, kind of like the Mini.
GTI War
When you think of classic hot hatches there are two cars that will inevitably spring to mind - the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Peugeot 205 GTI, two cars that are much-lauded, even to this day. The debate on which is better is always going to divide opinion and will probably rage on until the end of the time.
The Golf GTI hit the scene first though - 1975 to be exact - when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show. Fitted with a 1.6 litre engine producing 108bhp, the German GTI was able to get to 60mph in 9.0 seconds and then on to a top speed of 110mph. Needless to say the car was a hit and continues to thrive to this day.
Simca may have the started the hot hatch genre but it was the Golf GTI that captured people's imagination and as a result the eighties saw more manufacturers getting involved. One of the biggest hot hatches from the era is of course the Peugeot 205 GTI, a car that I had the privilege of driving earlier this year.
The 205 GTI was offered with two engines - a 1.6 litre four-cylinder unit that produced 105bhp and a 1.9 litre four-cylinder which produced 130bhp. The 1.6 litre provided a 0-60 of 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 116mph, whereas the 1.9 litre could get to 60mph in 7.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 127mph. Like the Golf GTI, the 205 GTI was a big hit and Peugeot hasn't quite been able to replicate the formula ever since.
The Nineties
By this point the demand for hot hatches had gone sky high, with manufacturers such as Ford getting a slice of the action. Ford is no stranger to producing working class heroes with cars like the Mustang and it's no different when it comes to hot hatches. The rally-inspired Escort RS Cosworth is one of the most notable examples from the 90s and the most likely to be hooned about the suburban streets of Essex on a Friday night at the time.
Under the Cassie's bonnet was a 2.0 litre turbocharge engine producing 227bhp although many of the 'Max Power' generation tuned their Escorts to give more power - and more bragging rights at the pub. It was an immensely popular car, in fact it still is, but only 7,145 models were produced in the four year run between 1992 and 1996. The Cossie was able to get to 60mph in just 6.0 seconds - fast even by today's standards - and a top speed of 137 mph.
The whale tail on the back was one of the tell-tale signs of the Escort RS Cosworth
Another hot hatch with ties to rallying is the Lancia Delta HF Integrale, one of the best cars the Italian firm ever produced - and of the most successful rallycars. The Delta Integrale won six World Rally championships, a record that is yet to be beaten. It came in a few different guises so let's focus on the 16v version.
A 2.0 litre turbocharged engine sat underneath the square bonnet which provided the rally legend with a power output of 207bhp. 0-60mph came in 6.0 seconds and the top speed was 134mph. Decent examples can still be found although you need around at least £25,000.
Quite possibly one of the best automotive photos I've ever clapped my eyes on.
Another car forged from the world of motorsport is the Renault Clio Williams, a car named after the Williams F1 team. Despite this, the actual F1 team had no involvement with the design of the Clio Williams but that doesn't make the car any less special. 3,800 examples were made and each one was powered by a 2.0 litre straight-four engine producing 150bhp. Top speed was 134mph and 0-60 time of 7.7 seconds.
I'm not really one for gold alloys but it works on the Clio Williams.
Resurgence in the 00s
The hot hatch genre was highly popular in the eighties and nineties but it was a victim of its own success as the high number of thefts led to higher insurance premiums. But that wasn't enough to kill the genre off, the noughties brought us cars such as the rev-hungry Honda Civic Type R and Renault were back at it with the Clio RS and the Megane RS. Ford also brought back the RS name and applied it the Focus in 2002. Peugeot gave it another go with the 206 GTI but fell well short of the magic created by the 205 GTI.
By this point hot hatches were getting faster and even hotter as manufacturers were able to coax more performance from their pocket rockets and when that wasn't enough, they'd put a V6 engine in instead - did someone say Renault Clio V6 Sport? In 2010 Ford launched a special version of the Focus RS Mk2 - the RS500.
500 models were made and the power output on offer was a sportscar-challenging 345bhp. 345bhp in a hatchback?! As you can imagine the results were pretty dramatic - 0-60mph came in 5.4 seconds and the top speed was 165mph. This is why hot hatches rule the roost in my opinion, you get the performance of the sportscar but with the practicality of a family hatch, what's not to like?
The Focus RS was taken to the dark side with the RS500 model
The Present Day
In the modern day pocket rockets are definitely in full force and most manufacturers can offer one - or more. Ford is once again king of the castle with cars such as the Fiesta ST - one of the best hot hatches I've ever driven - and the drift-mode instigating Focus RS.
This is a car I simply yearn to own.
The Golf GTI is still going from strength and celebrates its 40th year in production this year. Peugeot are still trying to recreate the magic of the 205 GTI with the 208 GTI and the 308 GTI, both of which are good cars but not the same. I think Peugeot needs to accept that the 205GTI was a one off and move on.
Renault are still very much in the game as well although I feel the French brand shot themselves in the foot by giving the latest Clio RS an automatic gearbox with no option of manual. A concept called the RS16 does feature a manual gearbox but whether that makes it to production is yet to be seen.
Now is a great time for hot hatch enthusiasts and there is plenty of choice to be had on the market. What's next for the hot hatch market though? Ford is working on a new Focus RS500 and as mentioned earlier, Renault has made a concept Clio which is even faster than the standard model and has been finally been fitted with manual.
The Clio RS 16 is a car I truly hopes makes it to production, I think it'd be a great seller for Renault too.