The seven best 1970s hot hatchbacks
In the 1960s the Mini demonstrated definitively that a front-wheel-drive, transverse-engined drivetrain was the ideal for cars with a focus ion everyday practicality. The Mini Cooper then demonstrated that this same layout could be fast and fun.
By the Seventies, manufacturers were expanding on the Mini’s form and adding more function in the shape of the hatchback. It was only a matter of time before these practical family cars were treated to a powdering of performance to unlock their potential and so, the ‘70s was the decade which brought us the hot hatch.
1974 Simca 1100 Ti
The title of ‘first hot hatch’ is often mistakenly attributed to the Volkswagen Golf but it would be another two years after the debut of the super Simca that the famed nameplate would be revealed. The base Simca 1100 had been around since 1967 and was very advanced for its day with disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and all-round independent suspension, and of course that all important lifting glass tailgate. It was a huge sales hit and VW actually studied it as part of its transition from rear-engined cars to the front-engined Golf.
In 1974, the Ti model was launched with a 1.3-litre version of the Simca ‘Poissy’ engine that produced 82PS, good for 105mph and 0-60mph in 12 seconds. This may not sound like a great deal but the power output represented a more than 40 per cent increase over the standard model, which is basically what a hot hatch is all about. The car also defined many other hot hatch characteristics that hold true to this day; better brakes, front and rear spoilers, alloy wheels and bold colours.
1975 Lancia Beta HPE
Turns out the Golf GTI wasn’t the second or even third hot hatchback although this entry may be somewhat controversial. The Lancia Beta was first introduced as a four-door saloon in 1972, followed by a two-door coupe the following year and a 2+2 Spider in 1974. All used dual-overhead all-alloy engines and five-speed gearboxes with MacPherson strut suspension and disc brakes all round. The engine itself was canted 20-degrees rearward to move its mass backwards and lower the centre of gravity.
It was in 1975 that Lancia launched the HPE (High Performance Estate) but with two doors and a lifting tailgate we believe it qualifies itself as a hot hatch. Fine handling and a torquey 2.0-litre twin-cam made for a rapid combination although the ultimate supercharged VX model didn’t debut until the following decade.
1976 Renault 5 Alpine
Revealed in sketches in 1971 and then launched formally the following year, the Renault 5 helped define and popularise the supermini segment. Intended for budget buyers the entry-level, 0.8-litre version came in at under 10,000 Francs. It was France’s bestselling car for 14 years and sold more than 5.5 million examples.
The Alpine version, named not for its hairpin besting agility but because it was assembled by the sportscar manufacturer of the same name, went on sale in 1976, two months before the GTI. It boasted a 1.4-litre engine with 93PS that had to propel just 850kg. Allow wheels, fog lights and stiffened suspension helped complete the package and in testing Motor magazine achieved 110mph and a 9.7-second 0-60mph time. Sold in the UK as the Gordini, it gained a turbo in 1982, cutting a second off the 0-60mph sprint.
1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI
It may not have been the first of its kind but the Golf GTI defined the hot hatch genre and is the only one on our list to still be going strong today, now in its eighth generation. The Golf itself did help create the family hatchback as a category, thanks to its sharp Giugiaro styling, dependability and immense practicality. It was something truly different when it launched in 1974 and it wasn’t long before a skunkworks team inside Wolfsburg was working on a ‘Sport Golf’ performance model. This used a Scirocco as a development mule and a dual carburetted version of the 1.6-litre engine.
However, when it was presented to VW’s research head, Ernst Fiala, he declared it too unrefined and noisy. So the carbs were replaced with fuel injection and the ‘I’ was added to Gran Turismo, creating a legend. Presented in March 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the family Golf had gained flared wheel arches covering fat alloy wheels, a chin spoiler and a red stripe round the grille. Inside was the now famous golf ball gear knob and tartan seats while underneath was 15mm lower suspension, vented front discs and anti-roll bars. VW intended to make just 5,000 to homologate the GTI for Group 1 Touring Cars but it went on to sell nearly 100 times as many.
1976 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint
It’s probably a tie between the HPE and the Alfasud Sprint for the best looking of our ‘70s hot hatches, although sadly both were also equal when it came to susceptibility to the dreaded tinworm. The standard 1971 ‘Sud – so called because it was built in Alfa’s southern factory – featured a range of boxer engines which allowed for both a low bonnet line and centre of gravity, all-round disc brakes, sophisticated suspension and rack and pinion steering.
Then in 1976 it gained a sharp new set of clothes to match its precise handing courtesy of Giugiaro and a larger 1.3-litre boxer engine with a twin-choke carburettor, good for 76PS. Alloy wheels, metallic paint and a quartz clock were all on the options list. Two new engines followed a couple of years later and in 1979 an extra carburettor was added, taking the power output of the larger 1.5-litre to 95PS. Both this and the 86PS 1.3-litre were sold as the Alfasud Sprint Veloce.
1978 Vauxhall HS Chevette
The Vauxhall Chevette seems like an unlikely starting point for the most desirable and costliest car on this list; the standard car was nicknamed the ‘Shove it’ thanks to its woeful reliability. But Vauxhall wanted to take on arch rival Ford in the World Rally Championship and its little front-engined, rear-wheel-drive hatchback, launched in 1975 was chosen for the task.
Out went the standard car’s 1.3-litre engine and a 2.3-litre with a Lotus derived 16-valve head was shoehorned into its place. With twin Stromberg carburettors this produced an impressive 135PS allied to a close-ratio five-speed gearbox and beefed up brakes and suspension. De riguer hot hatch touches were added with a front airdam, rear spoiler, tartan cloth seats and alloy wheels from the American Chevy Nova. Less than 400 of the required were built, making it a very rare beast today. In competition trim it won the 1979 British Open Rally Championship for drivers and for manufacturers in 1981.
1979 Sunbeam Lotus
We don’t have the time or, quite frankly, the energy to recount the disaster that was British car production in the 1970s. One of the upshots of it however was that the UK government gave Chrysler Europe – formerly the Rootes Group – a reported £55 million to develop a new small car in order to keep the Scottish Linwood plant open. The result, after a remarkably short 19-month development period, was the 1977 Chrysler Sunbeam, based on a shortened Avenger chassis.
A Ti model, utilising a 1.6-litre, twin-carb engine was launched in 1979 to favourable reviews thanks to its rear-wheel-drive agility compared to front-wheel-drive rivals. The company, now owned by PSA and called Talbot, wasn’t done there however. Lotus had been commissioned by Chrysler to develop a rally version and the French, in typical Gallic fashion shrugged and let it go ahead. The result was 152PS from a 2.2-litre 16-valve slant four and uprated suspension. In rally trim it produced 253PS and won Talbot the World Rally Championship in 1981.
Alfa Romeo
Alfasud
Simca
Volkswagen
Golf
GTI
Vauxhall
Chevette
Lancia
Beta
Renault
Sunbeam
Lotus
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