Just watched the new top dead center video (see below) and they bought clapped out turbo swapped 90's hatches. Jeeez I want another. Call me a stupid old nostalgic middle aged goofball but I want another.
Vr6 swapped gti or r53 mini with a small pulley supercharger? Or an imported pulsar gti?
Anyways enjoy the video.
Hot hatchbacks never stopped being awesome.
Trent said:Hot hatchbacks never stopped being awesome.
Agreed.
I know JDM is the way to go, but there's a whole continent of hot hatches legal to import that I feel like don't always get the attention they deserve.
It's not the first time I've thought I need to get on with my automotive curiosity list but also know my Rabbits made me really happy.
You know you could just buy a VR6 GTI in the US, right? I would not toss one out of bed.
I sold my hot hatch in July. I don't live in the right place for it to make sense but they sure are fun
It's sort of a cross between a hot hatch and a sports coupe, but I'm not letting this one go.
I have not had a hatchback in years. My wife has a 4 door, my daughter has a 4 door and I no longer need a 4 door. Hmmm.
Colin Wood said:Trent said:Hot hatchbacks never stopped being awesome.
Agreed.
I know JDM is the way to go, but there's a whole continent of hot hatches legal to import that I feel like don't always get the attention they deserve.
I would love to import a 205 GTI
Trent said:Hatchbacks never stopped being awesome.
FTFY
I love them.
As an R53 JCW owner, can highly recommend them for much much fun, try to find a non-sunroof version that has been well-maintained.
( the whine is divine! )
But since you mentioned the Nissan, man those are cool too! And they made about 600 of them in LHD...
...but they are a bit pricey these days.
The coolest example I've ever seen fetched abuncha bread on BaT but it was quite special, it even had the mega-rare Nismo 8-spokes which is icing on the cake chef's kiss...
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-nissan-pulsar-gti-r-5/
Let's not forget about the many excellent ADM entries in the hot hatch category.
buzzboy said:You know you could just buy a VR6 GTI in the US, right? I would not toss one out of bed.
The VR6 GTI was a German Cavalier Z24. 2.8l of six cylinder that made power but was pretty uninspiring because it was all midrange. And the chassis they were in were pretty heavy, too.
IMO a hot hatch should be sub-2l and be just a bit manic in the engine department. If the transmission is geared so tall that revs in top gear are under 3000-3500 at 60-70, it's doing it wrong.
I'd love a 106 Rallye (prefer early 1.3 for extra mania) or a Suzuki Swift GTI. Apparently everything is NLA for the Peugeot and they rusted horribly because they were painted very thinly with no rust protection as they were homologation specials and were intended to be raced with a short lifespan.
I was talking about a mk2 gti with vr6. The 16v is nice but not bonkers enough.
the srt4 or gobs was about as close as the americas got for a "murican" hot hatch.
im a 45 year old yobo, come at me.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
I thought all VR6s were A3 chassis, my bad. My opinion of the VR6 still stands though 
I adored my A2 chassis Golf.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Totally agree. The mk2's are awesome. I saw a turbo vr6 swapped into a mk2 once. It was kinda what I was shooting for.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
I still have a Rabbit GTi that needs some body attention. And a dual DCOE manifold for the 8v, that I picked up for $cheap. Now they're $300+ for the manifolds and the carbs are cheap, it was the other way around when I got the manifold. Also have a set of early 1.8t pistons to knock the compression up to 12:1 to bring up the midrange pop after you install one of those bottom of the page cams.
Sadly, 8v cams aren't $90 anymore.
If you want to feel the extreme in a different way, test drive a Mini with a built 1275 or 1380.
A2 Golf/GTI never came with VR6 in this country. 16v 2.0l was the biggest motor. Many have been swapped however using the A3 subframe and assorted bits. I helped build one or two back in the day.
Does my 2.0 16v Scirocco count?
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
My Mitsubishi hot hatch cruises at 5100 on the interstate. Got to love 4.625 FD gearboxes.
It's a pretty proper hot hatch. Small motor, High redline, and light weight. I love it! It's not going anywhere for a while.
I believe that clio V6s are now importable...
I know that 323 GTRs are, if it weren't for the cost of 93 (and E85 not existing) up north id have one up there.
The appeal for me is major GenX nostalgia, but also of course the budgetary factor also plays a role because everyman attainable in most cases.
As much as I am tempted by previously forbidden fruits, I am ultimately put off by the difficulties/expense of parts sourcing.
Still like looking tho, C&B has had some good selections pop up for modest money...
1998 Fiat Punto Sporting Abarth
1998 Toyota Starlet Glanza V
1995 Citroën ZX Volcane
1996 Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg ZR
1997 Peugeot 106 Rallye S2
I want one of these so bad but we no can haz. Doing some legwork, finding a 15-18 Veloster Turbo and a 2012-2015 Accent and do the drivetrain/suspension swap and make our own. ECU pins out close enough to work the dash, the front uprights from the VT bolt in and give you the 12" brakes. In the rear, a little modifications to the hub mounting allows the 5-bolt wheel/brake swap and the seats bolt in.
Pulsar would probably be my choice. I loved my B13 SE-R.
You'll need to log in to post.
