Manchester based vehicle leasing and contract hire firm All Car Leasing have released a new infographic called ‘Old School Hot Hatches – Where Are They Now?’ which takes a look at 10 of the most popular hot hatches from the decades starting from the 60s and finishing just after the turn of the millennium.
What are hot hatches?
Some may be unfamiliar with the term ‘hot hatchbacks’ as many say it is predominantly a United Kingdom thing. A hatchback is a type of car body with a rear door (rear hatch) as opposed to a boot which you would find on a saloon. Manufacturers are able to create smaller and more nimble cars by removing the big boot and replacing with this smaller hatch. Thanks to the overall smaller size, hatchbacks are generally more economical and have become quite popular with those who have no children or regular passengers travelling with them.
Now we know what a hatchback is what about a HOT hatchback? Well, a hot hatch is probably a bit easier to describe. Take a hatchback, any hatchback really, and then put on an aggressive body kit and a suped engine and you’ve got yourself a hot hatchback! Generally speaking, hot hatchbacks are ‘special editions’ and not quite a faster version of the non hot version. This means that hot hatches have a superior interior and features than the others. Some examples of hot hatchback stables:
- Peugeot GTi
- Golf GTI
- Skoda VRS
- Audi S
- SEAT Cupra
- Ford ST/RS
- Renault Renaultsport
- Mercedes AMG
- BMW M
- Vauxhall VXR
- Mini S
- Fiat Abarth
- Honda Type R
- Nissan Nismo
Hot hatches provide drivers with a constant thrill on the road and have become a popular choice with younger drivers and later as a bit of a ‘Sunday’ car on the weekend. Hot hatches aren’t great on insurance and usually even worse on insurance but who cares when you’re having that much fun?
Specifications and where the devil are they now?
This isn’t an infographic exploring what hot hatches are but a look backwards in time at when 10 of the most famous hot hatches debuted, how much they cost at launch, technical specifications such as engine size (i.e 1.5L), break horsepower, top speed and 0-60 miles per hour speed. All Car Leasing have also looked at how much they cost brand new, how much you can typically look to get one in the second hand market today and the average price on getting one. They’ve even thrown in some trivia from the year the vehicle was released in the United Kingdom.
But the question still remains, where the hell are these cars now?! The whole point of the infographic looks at how many of these hot hatches are still on the road now and roadworthy. This kind of information doesn’t come easy so we have to thank All Car Leasing for putting in so much effort to find this stuff out. You’ll be fascinated to find out how much are left especially on the older and rare models listed here. The vehicles ACL have listed in the infographic are:
- Reliant Scimitar GTE
- Lancia Delta Integrale
- Renault 5 Turbo
- MG Metro
- Peugeot 205 GTI
- Ford Fiesta XR2 MKII
- Ford Escort RS Cosworth
- Renault Clio Williams
- Citroen Saxo VTS
- Renault Clio V6 Renaultsport
Did you find yours in there? Do you remember any of these from back in the day or do you have fond memories of hot hatchbacks in general? If so, why not let us or All Car Leasing know in the comments section below.
