The best 1990s hot hatches

Ford Fiesta RS Turbo – 1990

The Ford Fiesta XR2i might have looked the part thanks to its quad fog lights and blue-striped bodykit but its unrefined engine and stodgy handling made it a hot hatch in appearance only. In stepped Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering division – previously responsible for the Capri 2.8i and Sierra XR4x4 – to raise the Fiesta’s game. Often mistakenly considered to be little more than an engine transplant from the larger Escort RS Turbo, the smaller Fiesta was its own beast entirely.

Although sharing the basic 1.6-litre engine the Fiesta used a smaller turbocharger but, allied with Ford’s own engine management system, the XR2i’s head and a new manifold it produced the same 135PS (99kW). It also produced a solid wave of torque at much lower rpm, ideal for eating front tyres wrapped in unmistakeable three-spoke alloys. A bigger anti-roll bar, geometry changes and quicker steering helped tighten up on the XR2i’s handling but the RS Turbo was always more of a sprinter than a carver.

Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole – 1992

What is it about Italian that turns everyday terms into descriptions of desire (German tends to do the exact opposite)? Quattroporte (four-door) is the classic example but Sedicivalvole, meaning simply ’16-valve’, is not far off and the name of the hatch it was appended to simply means ‘type’. Awarded European Car of the Year in 1989, the first attempts to heat up the Tipo recipe were distinctly lukewarm with two 1.8-litre variants failing to set many tyres alight.

Thankfully Fiat had an in-house solution and installed a 2.0-litre 16-valve version of the famed Lampredi Twin-Cam from the Lancia Thema allied to sophisticated suspension, communicative steering and vented discs up front. Like that car, the Tipo Sedicivalvole majored on handsome subtlety with deeper, red-striped bumpers, side skirts and five-spoke alloys while inside were a Momo steering wheel and the option of Recaro seats. That red-topped 16-valve engine loved to rev, delivering peak power at 6,250rpm, and had an exhaust note to encourage such behaviour. Add a turbocharger and that same engine would score innumerable WRC victories in the all-conquering Integrale.

Renault Clio Williams – 1993

The Clio Williams is to the 1990s what the Peugeot 205 GTI was to the previous decade, wresting the hot hatch crown from its fellow countryman in a manner which reflected the more mature times. Intended as a homologation special for Renault Sport to go rallying, the Williams association was down to marketing rather than any engineering input from the then Renault-powered F1 team and accounts for the blue dials, seatbelts and other interior accents.

With competition in mind the Clio Williams was much more than a rehash of the existing range-topping Clio 16v with a reinforced subframe, substantially revised suspension, wider track and wheels and strengthened gearbox. The engine was also extensively reworked, gaining an extra 200cc thanks to a bigger bore and stroke, new crank, pistons, camshafts, conrods, valves and exhaust manifold. The bonnet bulge and flared arches covering those perfect gold alloys made the Clio the epitome of the pint-sized pugilist with the sting to match its style. Intended as a limited run for collectors such was the car’s success, Renault released two more series, upping total production from 2,500 to over 12,000, much to the chagrin of the original purchasers.

Seat Ibiza Cupra – 1996

Having helped create and define the genre, the Volkswagen Golf GTI had gone off the boil by the time of its third generation in the nineties. Weight had dulled performance and handling while engines hadn’t kept up in sync. It must have been galling then that the Seat Ibiza, based on a modified Mk3 Golf platform, was regarded as something a bit more special. Designed with a bit more Mediterranean flair than the Golf, the Ibiza was the first model produced by Seat after Volkswagen’s takeover and established the Spanish company as more of a youth oriented brand.

The Cupra, meaning ‘cup’ in the sense of trophy, was so-named to celebrate the brand’s success in rallying and utilised a version of the range-topping Golf GTI’s 2.0-litre engine, producing 150PS (110kW). Smaller in size and thus lighter and nimbler, the Cupra could embarrass its German relation both in a straight-line and through corners. Later versions gained forced induction and these Cupra models were the foundation of what is now a performance-focused sub-brand.

Citroën Saxo VTS – 1997

Stablemate to the Peugeot 106 GTi, the Saxo VTS garnered more attention at the time, although much of it was from the then burgeoning customisation scene. A darling of the Max Power set, the Saxo VTS was subject to multiple modifications that have decidedly failed to stand the test of time. Regardless of their aesthetic choices – which is wholly subjective after all – the mod squad knew what they were about in choosing the tiny Citroën as a blank canvas.

The engine may have produced a mere 120PS (88kW) but it loved to rev while doing so and had only 900kg to propel so it was quick, chuckable and a lot of fun for the enthusiastic ‘yoof’ who could actually afford to insure it due to the small engine size. A turbocharged version, the S1600 Saxo VTS, won every event it was entered into in the 2001 Junior World Championship, driven by one Sebastien Loeb.

Peugeot 306 Rallye – 1999

The Renault Clio Williams may have wrested the hot hatch crown from the Peugeot 205 GTi but the latter’s successor was no slouch and was itself the harbinger of a new generation of more genteel hot hatches. A replacement for the Peugeot 309 rather than the 205, the 306 received a very handsome Pininfarina-penned body and typically Gallic underpinnings that balanced passenger comfort and driver entertainment. Performance models at first used a 2.0-litre development of the old 1.9-litre from the 205 to create the Peugeot 306 XSi in eight-valve form and the S16 with a multivalve head.

The arrival of the GTi-6 in 1996 saw not only an increase in power but also one of the first adoptions of a six-speed gearbox outside of supercar exotica and racing cars. It was novel enough for a ‘6’ to be added to the GTi badging and the close ratios made utilising the rev-happy motor more enticing. We are saving our praise for the limited edition Rallye variant launched in 1999 however. Stripped of air conditioning, electric windows and the fancier trim of the GTi-6, the Rallye dropped 65kg and cut seven-tenths off the 0-62mph time. And unlike similar ‘performance focusing’ exercises today which are envisioned by marketers rather than engineers, the Rallye actually cost less than the car it was based on.

If you love the old hot hatches, maybe you’ll like our other list of the best 1980s hot hatches?