Tell us about your previous hot hatches

[XR650R]

I've always liked smaller cars. When I was looking to get a new car, I wanted something sporty. I looked at the Mustang GT and the Challenger 392. They were gorgeous, for sure, but heavy. And thirsty. Just too much car for a single guy who spends most of his time alone in it.

I settled on the FiST due to the light weight, decent mileage, and the fact that it's small. I also had previous experience with a hot hatch back in the 80s. Even my friends remember my '84 Plymouth Colt turbo. It had about 30 more hp than the standard Colt, and the expected extra torque. It made a boring econobox into a fun little rocket that could top 100 mph. The only difference between it and the standard Colt was some slightly wider tires. Sadly, they didn't beef up the dual-range tranny to handle that extra power, and it didn't hold up. 102 hp in a 1896 lb. car was pretty good at the time. It looked just like this.

Great memories of many a journey.

Not a popular niche in the US, but they've been huge in Europe for decades. What hot hatches have you guys had?

 

[Stevessvt]

I’m old (47), but through the years I’ve had quite a few cars, including a number of hot small cars, not just hatches. Off the top of my head, an 03 stage 2 tuned Neon SRT 4, an 05 WRX STi, a 08 Civic SI, an 09 Mazdaspeed 3, 10 Cobalt SS, and now a 17 FiST. There where other cars in between some the these listed, and a ton before. Yes, I was impulsively stupid with buying cars, and I wish I had half the money I’ve blown on them right now.

 

[Vanilla2]

95 ECLIPSE GSX EVO III engine swap

 

[XR650R]

I remember the Neon SRT4. It was a well-liked car back in the day. I've owned a few Subarus, too, including an 80-something turbo sedan, but it wasn't really very fast. The turbo made it about as fast as a normal car. lol

The little scoop told you it was the quicker model. Could you make it functional?

 

[Capri to ST]

I had a '96 Integra GSR which was a lot of fun, it had a 7000 rpm VTEC engine and the practical advantages of a hatch, like our cars. It was well-made like most Hondas, I kept it for 16 years and nothing went wrong except a radiator leak and a rusted-out muffler. I finally sold it because I realized I wasn't going to wear it out in this lifetime.
As XR650R said, there haven't been a lot of hot hatches in the US, which always surprised me because they make so much sense. Many European reviewers have praised the FiST as the king of the hot hatch class.

 

[melhead]

1988 vw scirocco 16v, 2000 vw GTI


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[jtehh]

First, and only, hot hatch before my Fiesta was my 2003 Ford Focus SVT (4-door). I mean, it wasn't all that hot. Compared to the FiST it was a total slug. I had a diablosport tune on it, but it could only do so much. I think I also had a short ram intake.

I had it for about three years and put a ton of miles on it (about 100 a day). It was solid throughout, no problems at all. Loved it. And it was incredibly practical. The only picture I could find is the one I took when I bought a new lawnmower and fit the entire box in the car. Try doing that in a small sedan!

Alas, I traded it in because even after 3+ years, my wife refused to drive a manual and it was getting to be impractical since it meant I could never drive our mini-van as it would leave her stranded. So I said my goodbyes.

A little over a year ago I got the FiST, but we had two other cars, so she was never stranded. We are back down to just two cars, but somehow get by with me only driving our SUV when she is in it. Otherwise, the FiST does the family thing.

 

[neeqness]

My first manual was a Honda CRX. Not the fastest car on the road but it still managed being really fun to drive. The butt dyno on it was huge. You'd swear it was blazing fast...until the next time someone passed you on the freeway onramp. It was very low to the ground and gave you a street legal go-cart feel.

Then I moved on to the 240SX which sparked and locked in my love for rear wheel drive. This one was not only fun to drive but made a great DD. Interestingly enough, it also got almost the same mileage as my CRX. But the mileage was only a curiosity, not a priority here.

Then came the G35...not really a hatch but a great car still. Was considering the 350Z, but a two seater was not practical for me at the time.

The FiST came as a total surprise though. Needing a hatch I was really looking at the Mazda and I very likely would have gotten it if the test drive had went better. I figure they must have given me a lemon to test because it felt so cheap just driving it a few minutes that I just couldn't bring myself to buy that car. Otherwise, I don't know how so many people could have bought it if they drive like the one I did in the test drive.

But if it had not been for that fateful test drive and the ugly appearance (in my opinion) of other Japanese hatches at the time, I would never have test driven this amazing car...in the fun to drive category, none of these others compare.


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[Turbo65]

Coming from England I’ve had quite a few XR2/XR3I/GTI’s and my fav a skip brown lotus sunbeam http://https://www.google.com/search?q=lotus+sunbeam&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=U08RaBXM67u9UM:

 

[M-Sport fan]

Coming from England I’ve had quite a few XR2/XR3I/GTI’s and my fav a skip brown lotus sunbeam http://https://www.google.com/search?q=lotus+sunbeam&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=U08RaBXM67u9UM:

Link does not work for me.

Is it similar in aesthetics to the Group 2 rally Sunbeam-Talbot hatches, with that SEVERELY tilted engine position?

 

[Turbo65]

Link does not work for me.

Is it similar in aesthetics to the Group 2 rally Sunbeam-Talbot hatches, with that SEVERELY tilted engine position?

Yes, it was a sad day when I sold it before I moved over here

 

[jeffreylyon]

1980 Mk 1 Fiesta Ghia with dual Webbers, reworked head, headers, 185/60x13, battery in the back, rear sway bar from a junkyard Fiesta S. 0 torque but a lovely sound. Totaled when someone hung a left right in front of me. Lots of cars since but that was my last hot hatch. Replaced my first car, a 1978 Fiesta that developed a rod knock. I sold it to someone I worked with and he drove it for at least a year with the engine knocking away.

 

[Woods247]

 

[EnthusiaST]

A couple Mazdaspeed3’s and an mk6 GTI. A r53 S as well for a short time. The first time I ever drove the fist I was in the GTI and pulled away from the test drive(in the GTI) feeling like I was driving a minivan. The gti was modded as well. I miss all of them for different reasons though.

 

[CB022481]

91 civic hatch
86 integra hatch
my favorite... 88 323GTX turbo 4wd and a center locking diff.

 

[BRGT350]

My first hatch, which is kind of hot, but not really a hot hatch is my 1984 Mustang that I have owned since 1994. It is full of Maximum Motorsports parts, carb'd 302, T-5 transmission, torque-arm rear suspension, Kevlar Racetech racing seat, 6-point roll bar, and Cobra brakes.

picture-72 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

I eventually needed a more suitable daily driver and bought a brand new 2000 Ford Focus ZX3. It featured a long list of engine, suspension, cosmetic, aerodynamic, and just about every other modification I could add over the 5 years I owned the car. I miss this car everyday and should have never sold it. The car was destroyed by a kid in Florida who destroyed the transmission, tried to rebuild the motor, crashed it, and sold it for scrap.

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

focus interior 2004 016 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

focus interior 2004 001 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

I sold the 2000 Focus and bought a 2003 SVT EAP Focus from my dad (who later bought it back and still owns it)

SVT Focus Fall by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

I then got this 2009 Fiesta from Europe as part of the Fiesta Movement

GVSU Autocross July 5th 2009 015 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr
You may recognize this from Jalopnik who borrowed pictures of me autocrossing the Fiesta. This was the very first Fiesta to autocross in the US. The car was also on Autoblog from the time it was at the Sno*Drift.

I then moved to a 2011 Fiesta SES

Racetech 2011 Ford Fiesta by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Ford gave me this 2014 Pre-production Fiesta ST for the second Fiesta Movement.

Ford Fiesta ST at MIAC Autocross 145 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

and now I have this

2015 Mountune FB2 Fiesta ST by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

2015 Mountune FB2 Fiesta ST by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

 

[Turbo65]

This might be my latest, I’m trying to talk myself out of it and wait on a bullit mustang but they made the money work

 

[M-Sport fan]

This might be my latest, I’m trying to talk myself out of it and wait on a bullit mustang but they made the money work

Is that a new color this (final?) year, or is it one of the Special Edition colors, along with the front axle LSD?

 

[M-Sport fan]

My first hatch, which is kind of hot, but not really a hot hatch is my 1984 Mustang that I have owned since 1994. It is full of Maximum Motorsports parts, carb'd 302, T-5 transmission, torque-arm rear suspension, Kevlar Racetech racing seat, 6-point roll bar, and Cobra brakes.

picture-72 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

I eventually needed a more suitable daily driver and bought a brand new 2000 Ford Focus ZX3. It featured a long list of engine, suspension, cosmetic, aerodynamic, and just about every other modification I could add over the 5 years I owned the car. I miss this car everyday and should have never sold it. The car was destroyed by a kid in Florida who destroyed the transmission, tried to rebuild the motor, crashed it, and sold it for scrap.

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Racetech Ford Focus by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

focus interior 2004 016 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

focus interior 2004 001 by Bryan Redeker, on Flickr

Are the '93 Cobra SVT style wheels on the Stang 4 bolts, or did you convert the hubs to 5 bolt (unless they are something else entirely, and my ancient eyes are going REALLY bad)?

LOVE the co-driver foot rest in that first Focus, and I had one of those charcoal suede Sparco shift knobs in my 4th gen Z28 as well (along with a Sparco mod 383 suede wheel)!
(I even have a set of those same red Sabelt harness pads for 3" wide harness straps!)

 

[mdude58]

1981 Le Car. Only car I could pin the speedometer on (85 mph speedos back in the day).
2003 Comp Orange SVTF. Great car, had it for 10 years with nary a problem. Just got tired of driving it. Thank you Google Earth for the portrait.