The best hot hatches of all time: six used classic cars we found this week

Top Gear

6 days ago

Advertisement
You know the one. Though not that one – the version we found this week for the frankly bargain sum of £16k is the 1.6-litre GTI, not the more sought-after 1.9. It matters not. What you're getting is a crisp, beautifully proportioned car that weighs under a tonne and will lift-off oversteer to your heart's content.
Here's one we found earlier
Advertisement - Page continues below
The Fiesta ST lives! Sort of! Ford stopped making one of the best small hot hatches of all time a couple of years ago, but the classifieds are full of the little 1.6-litre tykes. Like this one, for just 5,568 of yer finest English pounds. Five-and-a-half grand! Just remember to lift off once in a while. Not mid-corner, mind.
Here's one we found earlier You might like
During this car's lifetime, Williams F1 was busy sweeping up all before it in Formula One, and eventually all that glitter and (literal) gold found its way into this Nineties gem. A 2.0-litre nat-asp engine, sub-tonne kerbweight and trick chassis helped cement its place in history, as did that gorgeous blue and gold livery. And would you look at that – here's one we found for just £15k! Possibly!
Here's one we found earlier
Advertisement - Page continues below
No, 120-odd horses from a 1.4-litre engine hasn't travelled well through the years. Yes, 120-odd supremely turbocharged horses carrying a metric tonne of turbo lag has travelled well through the years! This one's a rare Dimma-kitted 5 Turbo (anyone old enough to remember Dimma?), and… ok yes, it's very expensive. Still, you would.
Here's one we found earlier
You'd buy it for the stance alone. Ford doesn't tend to get its fast cars wrong, and this Mk1 RS is just so, so right. 2.0-litre turbo four, 212bhp, front-drive, proper diff, proper wheels and a proper lairy drive. Here's one for £16k.
Here's one we found earlier
Yes, what you really want is the FL5 Type R, but that's a new car, and this is a list about old cars. So here's an old Civic Type R that looks like a tarted-up shoebox able to scream its hearty little VTEC lungs out. Also came with one of the finest manual gearboxes ever fitted to a car, too. And look! Here's an old one for £15k!
Here's one we found earlier See more on Used cars