COLLECTOR'S EDITION (om PURE PERFORMANCE HOT HATCH HEROES ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE ICONSeared elma PU Ket HEROES Kelsey Publishing td, The Granary, Downs Cou, "Yalding il alin Kent MEIBGAL. ‘aN THE REPUBLIC OF RELAND KELSEY. PES rLT WELCOME othatches area part of motoring history. Almostallofyou reading thisrightnow willhave owned a hothatch ofsome sort atsomepointin your lives, andits also very likely that your first performancehatch played an incredibly importantrole in shaping your adult motoringlif, This special magazine is all about celebrating someofthe best, mst influential, andiconichothatches ever made. We've cherry-picked the highlights from almost 0 years ofrich hot hatch history and we'd iketo think thatyoull find your favourites within these pages, Webegin with a celebration ofsome ofhot hatch history's greatesticans, with 10cars ‘that shaped the scene, cars that were amazing, excitingand which everyoneremembers fondly. Classics ike the Mk Golf GTI and ‘the Peugeot 205 GT, 90s icons like the Sax0 and the Renault lio Williams, and modern rmasterpleceslike the CivieType Rand the Ford Focus Sta tripthrough time that ill bring motoring memaries flooding ack, aswell as making you realise just how far hot hatches have come overthe years, Wealso ring you. selection of features highlighting some of the best hatches ever made and showcasing thelr modifying potential, includinga stunning Mkt Golf GGrion 17s, a 1010hp Ford Focus RS anda turbocharged Renault Clio 182. Elsewhere, we ake alookat the rise ofthe prestige performance hatch, examining the offerings from Aual, EMW and Mercedes, Wealsotake alookataselection of otherhatches that ‘might not be true icons ut which absolutely deserve recognition, such as the BMW-era [MINI models, the Alfa Romeo 147 GTAand the Wild Renault Co V6. And reading about hot hatches gets you in the mood for one of your very own, we've got uyingand tuning guides {othe MKS Golf GTI, the Mk2 Focus STand the [EP8and EN2 CivieTypeR, three ofthe best: value used hot hatches money ean buy Effortlessly blending performance with practicality and all without breaking the Dank, hothatches have always been the ‘people's champion andl continue to beto this ay, so please enjoy this spect magazine and join uson this journey through hot hatch history I ELIZABETH DE LATOUR £0/T0R HOT HATCH HEROES 003CONTENTS CONTENTS FEATURES 06 HOT HATCH ICONS We take an in-depth look at arguably 10fthe sreatesthothatches ofaltime. 18 INTO THE RABBIT HOLE Astunning Mla Golf GTI running 2.0itre four-potonITBs that revsto 8000rpm. 32 TAMING THE BEAST Pushing out 375hp, this mountunes2 Mk Galt THis one ferocious machine. 40 PREMIUM PERFORMANCE HATCHES: Weexplore the high end hot hatch offerings from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. 004 Hor HaTcH HEROES 50 PURPLE REIGN “Makingan epic 1010np, this incredible Mk2 Ford Focus RSis on another level, 64 THE PERFECT STORM Wide-arch M-sportstyling plus 347whp make this Mc Ford Fiesta ST an atvesome build, 72 PASSING THE TORCH ‘This full.onEP3 Civie Type Risahardcore ‘machine that takes things to thenext level 88 SACRE BLEU! Findshedin dazaling Racing Bue ths Renaultsport Clio 182 packs turbo punch 94 HIGH-PROFILE HOT HATCHES We take a lookata selection ofhatehbacks that are too good not to deserve recognition.BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE: VW GOLF GTI MKS fantasti performance machine, the MkS Gttisan exceptional used buy with loads of ‘modding potential ‘TECH GUIDE: SUSPENSION ‘Whether you're us ooking to lower yaur car orareafter theultimate handling upgrade, ‘theproper suspension setup will transform whatever you drive, BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE: FORD FOCUS ST MK2 ‘With aggressive styling. a great chassisand a sweet five-pot motor that was born tobe tuned, the rowdy Mk2 Focus is great value for money. BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE: HONDA CIVIC TYPE R EP3/FN2 Servingup hardeore motoring thrills, the EPS and FN2 CivieType Rmodels delivera driving ‘experience like no other and these high-revving hooligans are desirableand affordable. ‘TECH GUIDE: TYRES [Bverything you ever wanted toknow about tyres land why they're soimportant when itcomesto setting the most out of your car HOT HATCH HEROHOT HATCH ICONS hehothatchisa partof performance motoring history and hasbeen anineredibly important machine since the very firstiterations appeared in the early 03. Over almost halfa century, the hot hatch has grown and evolved io sucha degree that modern offerings HOT HATCH HEROES O21MK1 VW GOLF GTI the Lavegrovere Initially Tjusthad Jamie dropa basic 2.01 ABP engin Goodwood anda few other tokeepup rmore focused Tech cars, init and lraggedit around jaystryi ith the really on realised an lnmportant consideration thou near as fast as thebig url kept going and put up with relentless abuse —1 ras nowhere gang, but the’79just f,myabilty and the car ‘on, race-spec engine that was destined for his, range Mk was soon being homme. The ABF w feltasi omed for anew fine and reliable, but Ij en thatenginethrough and needed mph to match confidence: it id help that fale build you something witha itd it are saying something proper The resulting 9A block’ KR 16v head has morphed into a 21stcentur vhen are we going orkofartwith nota bolt, linear bracket left uuntouch NAengineshas never really ben that easy so the plan was always to ‘without drastically altering the blockoo the as faras possible crankto high-compression (12.52 ps to PauterH.beam rods to ensurea much bigger bang. Havinglearntalot from previous 16v builds, and with the ECUMaster ECU Blac in mind, Jamie has incorporated rather nifty cranks modified an much, To that end, Simm Wossner ons arenow mated 3 setup froma Caddy 2kandlalso 14 motorsport cam sensor fit the side ofthe Dave Crisell-etled cylinder head. ‘whichis port matched and CChalanced to within ylinder. Thanks ta setof hight customgrind Kent Cams camshaft solldftersit should now be: toan exquisite 8000rpm, although atthe time of sess ithad yet tobe fully mapped. The ds perhaps somewhat conservatively predict itwill make anywhere between itremains to be seen what the final per nd uprated apable of revving be. One things fr certain, i's nt Cee! eyabout and that's no just beeause ofthe eng of artbeneath the bonnet steering rack, the concealed cam angle sensor tucked away beneath a theader tank complete with the Stant cap. Eage-eyed also note servo or balancebar assembly inders for ep, ncred euire 2160 rear -iftheres onearea we're probably the bral wellsoon uptothe ll ifhe’s notdoing it’s ra” chuckles Jamie. be so simple, an that a Jamie tell ren the breather modified 98 ‘ankand super-pos black, while ‘gnition system bang uptodate and al sequential inject sto work via the ECUM carbon fibre planned es EMU,The 17 filter now fierce bark really important tome” This ordinary 16v motor ~If Marks and did valver imps, tisisthe one es sup chambers via a set of Jenvey head vith {injectors to really bringth «id we mention Jenvey EXMK1 VW GOLF GTI ‘wire eleetre throttle actuator? Turbos ae all well and good, but ne true Mk pervert would sacrifice that raucous, staccato slightly lumpy idle for whoosh tissch sound effects, would they? ‘same points out; “There was no point fitting that ECU ifwe werent goingto make flluse of ltspotential,sothe new sensorsand custom fa ‘workbecame vital” ‘We could realistically spendthis entre wrte- upjust talking about that engine, but needs rust! A fresh coat of Lemon Gelb was applied by Berkshire auto Bodies just before the engine wentin, satisfying Pauls slightly perverse need foraperfect rear end, "leant stand iton Mkis ‘when people fil the rear seams on the back. panel! Mine had gone alitlerusty so decided tohave the whole thing painted again inside and out. Duly dusted inthe factory Lemon YellowhueaGT1 grille, duckspoiler with custom ducting forthe 13-row ol coler, wheel arches and sde strips were the only ral concessions to ‘style—afteral, why mess with perfection? That fairly innocent exterior gives no cues to the performance potential within Jamie then bolted ina Safety Devices cage with some custom-made door bars and secured the brace of Recaro $PG pews into place on Recarosubframes, Whilethe whole thing smacks ofrace car ~checkout the OMP wheel and easly accessible brake bias adjuster ~Paul decided touse Leo's old redstitched door cards foralitde opulence and noise suppression Inside. Glance down at the gear knob though and thetrue piece de resistance ofthis builds revealed “I ound the Honda Quaife sequential ‘box second-hand online one day and had tohave It After experiencing Jamies Drenth gearboxin his E463, Tknew the earboxhad to beasclose toatouringcaraslcould get. ‘Thanks o Jamie's wisdom the five-speed cog swapper has also been fully stripped and rebuiltusing Quaife spares and adapted 024 HoT HATCH HEROES tothe VW flywheeland elutch with anew bellhousing-notan easy task-whilea Tektro brake leverhas been adapted to engage reverse -rmreally looking forward to trying out the full throttle flat shifts that have been mapped lo the ECU when [getthe chance; Paul beams enthustastically I's going tbe mental, that’s for sure. Aload cell sensor on the gearstick detects ‘when upshifts are about te happen and cuts the ignition timing through the ECU, and probably throws atwo-stepstyleflameoutofthe exhaust asyou keep the throttle pinnest tothe flor. Similarly, on downshifts the same load cell will also automatically detectaload and the ECU will blipthethrottle leaving you reeto concentrate on thetaskat hand, Hopefully, theride wont ge too wild though because KW Variant coilovers now keep itplantedon the asphalt witha surprising degree ofboth compliance and contol, camber and caster adjustableop mounts enabling comprehensive geo setup that has been S = Fee Sede Aialed into Paul's preference. Eibach ARBS, an ‘unknown strut brace and some funky lower wishbone bracing has also been added, Aesthetically those x15" OZ Turbo split rims narrowly squeeze in beneath slighty widened fronc wings, and Paulisfully aware thatthe 195/45 Toyo Proxes T1-Rrubber will probably be replaced when itcomes to geting down and dirty ontrack, Therein ie the duality ofthis car's personality: isan all-out race carfor the road, withallof the precision and high tech {oys to make itatotal weapon, while remaining ‘lly road legal and able to pop down tothe local fora Sunday roast. This car thatis capable of keeping pace with some very exotic machinery Jtmight look al warm and fuzzy butdon‘cle the Bananaman exterior fool you, this things built tolastand race for hours THANKS Jamie an eo at} Teh James OBD Works Kevin lover forthe mappingand anyone ele who has helped with support throughout the budBetter filtration, less resistance and reusable Make Italian made BMC air filters the obvious choice when upgrading the induction system on your car. 9 out of 10 F1 teams are using cotton filters from BMC to maximise performance and reliability of their engines, so why not do the same? The BMC Air Filter range of high quality performance cotton filters is enormous. Please check for the full range Next day deliveries all over the UKBUYING AND TUNING GUIDE 026 HoT HATCH HEROESSe has been somewhat bumpy, however. The M3 certainlyhas its detractors, as does the Mk the MkS GTI of 2005 waswidely celebrated asa return oformafte a periodin the doldrums, and we can viewitas the progenitor of the third wave of Golf GTisthatendures to this day. The Mic and Mid are brocketed together as bona fide classis, the Mk3 and Mkt are perhaps an acquired taste, and everything from the Mks to the current Mis isthe wave ofthe future or at least presend, With aturbocharged 2.0sitreengine serving ‘up 200hp, the Mls performance vas right \whereit needed te, and thisimpressive ‘motor was offered either witha lick sixspeed ' ae rena ‘manual ora whip-crack DSGtwin-cluch auto. A0-62mph time around seven secondsassured fs straightline credentials, and itwasa proper hoot in thetwistes oo; extensive chassis development resulted ina MacPherson strut front and multisink rear. The interior was something special as wel, with the Interlagos tartan seattrimand dimpled golEbal gear knob harking nosalgically back to the conic Mk Unsurprisingly, the MKS GTI sold ike oteakes, and the used markets positively brimming with them today. There are two formats available:the three-door i forthe purist, while the five-door was an ingenious rmaveto package all ofthese everyday HOT HATCH HEROES O27BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE Uhrilisup asa practical family car. And there arealsosomelimited-run specials to be aware of The 30th Anniversary Edition (generally referred toas“Edition 30° arrived in2007-the fastest production GoIFGTI to dat, ts engine was tweaked upto 230hp, knocking about hal 2:seconi off the 062mph time. The Edition 30s distinguishable by its unique chin spoiler, body- colour side skirts and rear bumper, 18° Pescara ‘wheels and redesigned seats. The GTI Pirelli was another special, launched in 2008, paying. homage tothe original GT Pirelli of 1983. This nev version sported bespoke Pirell-branded 18" wheels (and Pirelli Zero tyres, ofcourse) along withthe Faltion 30-spec engine, The whole body kit was painted body colour, andthe seats featured microfibre rim inserts witha tyre tread pattern, OUR CHOICE There wasa time when our go‘o choice would havebeen the Edition 30 After al, is essentially the ultimate factory spec fora MS GTI and ownersareso enamoured ofthese ers that 028 HoT HATCH HEROES they've started to enjoy an almost euletke following among lesser GTis. However i's this growing collectabilty hat would perhaps steer us away from an Edition 30 these days~ ‘ven tha the MBs platform iso receptive to performance modifications, we'd bewantingto change afew things, and sullying the purity of collectable seemsabitexta. So we'd be tempted tofind a decent, alloriginal example ofan early CT, deallya 2005 three-door in Tornado Rea with the Monza wheels, and usethat asa base for afun project. Pe bepcrrrrter WHAT TO PAY ‘There are alot of Mis GTIs on the market, so naturally, the prices can fluctuate wildly ~and, An general, you do getwhatyou pay for Its possibleto pick upan MOT‘ runner for between £2500-£3000, but these willbe high-mileage examples with patchy history and, most likey Jssues to sort. The entry price for atidy GTI that you can jump straight into and enjoy looks to be around €3750for an early example, rising to crea £5000 fora decent ane with low mileage, while impeccable al-original GT ean get up0 £7000. Expect to pay a premium for special editions a tidy Edition 30 will be between 7000-29000, WHAT TO LOOK FOR History isceucial when you're ookingata GGTL These high-performance machines have now passed into the price point where they can be picked up relatively cheaply by the sort af people who aren'll that bothered about proper maintenance so for peace of mind, youtllhe wanting o finda car witha nice thick file of paperwork and a fully stamped service book. Most important tocheckis that it's had its timingbek changed a the proper time: there's bitof mud thinking here, as the service-book Ingervalisstated as every 120,000 mies, while dealers recommend doingitevery four years 2 60-80,000miles..we'd recommend erring nthe side of caution (because ater al timing belt filure could destroy the engine) and iit hasn’tbeen done recently, putitat the top of theto-dolist. eva relatively pricey job —a8it involves removing the downpipe to get access, Tare verte eects reper andyou might as welfita new water pump and thermostat at thesame time but much cheaper than anew engine ‘Theengine tselfis extremely robust, but ‘yousmay notice one or two noises: the rubber Alapheagmon te diverter valve can spit, and youl heara boost leak (this will ost likely trigger warning light on the dash too), while rattle on startup that disappears and reappears ‘will mstlikey bea failing fuel pump. Coil, packs are known ofall, bu thisis easily remedied; misfire will bethe telltale, fa manualequipped Galfhas aheavy clutch il be due for replacement in normal operation itshould benice and light. With DG cars, make sure that thetransmisslon has been serviced correctly asa neglected unit willbe jerky and suggish. Check for uneven tyre wear- its usually caused simply by poor alignments t's nothing to worry about, but {sa good bargaining chip. And be wary of shabby interior fitand finish, or uneven panel gaps and mismatched paint the interior and body are very wel put together soanything notably amiss hereisa sign ofneglect andlor sceident damage, TUNING ‘The Mks GTThas been roundly embraced by the ‘modifying community for many years now, —> “THE MKS GTI HAS BEEN ROUNDLY EMBRACED BY THE MODIFYING COMMUNITY FOR MANY YEARS NOW, AND THERE'S A MASSIVE AFTERMARKET TO SUPPORT IT... YOU HAVE A NEAR-OVERWHELMING RANGE OF OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM' ; 029 etBUYING AND TUNING GUIDE VW GOLF GTI MKS and there amassiveaftermarketto support it. Whether you wantto turn your GTTintoa fast road weapon a track a orn out-and-out show build, you have anear-overwhelming range of options to choose from. A good starting point Istoaddress the suspension. Uprated lowering springsare an easy option for improved aesthetics and dynamics, although going one step further will pay dividends; a set of BR-Series coilovers from BBCRacingis £899, Throw in some Whiteline anti-roll bars (£185 apiece) and get proper four-wheel alignment, and the chassiswill be transformed, ‘your oyster when itcomes PCD of Sx112 and ET35-45 there's oodles of choiceon the aftermarket, and ofcourse, the VAG sextensive so there are countless OEM* options. There's alt of choice ‘with brakes too a simple dise)ped upgrade from EBCwillcome inat around £270 frontand «200 rear (for grooved disesand Yellowstuff pads and braided lines area sweet addition to firm up that pedal fel. Or if you're goingallin, sight pot upgrades are available fom K-Sport for avery reasonable £1100 Power mods? Now we're talking..as with 030 Hor Ha CH HEROES, any modern VAG product, a simple plug:in remap can unleash huge amounts of extra powerand torque; Stage 1 remap from Revo (349) wil ake you upto around 230-255hp and 258-285Ib feof torque. A full 3 exhaust system Including downpipe is a must~aturbo-back ace Miliek system is around £1700, plus £360 for the downpipe and de-cat~you'l be needing a Stage 2 mapo really fee the benefit ofthis, and upgrading the induction will benecessary too; the ITG Maxogen system at £385 isagreat choice, And ance youve throwing bigger power through the front wheels alimitedslip diffs a ‘ood idea a Quaife ATBis £850. VERDICT Few cars areas conicasthe Golf GTI, and fewhavebeen embraced by the modifying community with such fervour asthe MS. Indeed, i's gotto the stage that the show scene Issolavishly populated with them (asare the paddocks at any given track day thatitcan take abitof head-scratching tofigureouthow you can make your Golf stand out from the crowd. ‘Thankfully here'sa massive aftermarket supportingthesecarssonotwo Golfsare exactly the same... and besides, not everyone's bulldinga one-off for head-turning purposes, ses good to know thatal the right its are available ofthe shelf. l'salmost laughably easy to make these carseye-wateringly quick with just bolt-on upgrades and plugin remaps.and the chassiscan be fine-tuned to perfection with, again, easly availabe parts (Or perhaps youjust want to keep the Mis (TI stock and enjoy itfor whatitis. And that's totally achievable too; there are plenty of ‘unmodified low-mleage examples out there, and the servicing and maintenance parts are Jnexpensiveand simple to source. Now, as lever, the Golf truly represents accesible performance for everybody I ENGINE 2.0e turbocharged four-cylinder TRANSMISSION Sicspeed manuslorsicspeed ual cutch OSG MAX POWER 200hp @ 5100-6000%pm MAXTORQUE O71 1800-5100%9m 0-€2MPH 7.2 (69) seconds ‘TOP SPEED 145mphSPECIALIST SOLUTIONS FOR VEHICLE BODY REPAIRS Professional grade paint from The Touch Up Paint Factory. Colour Coat aerosols with a Pro Jet Spray nozzle. Plus, ‘All in One’ combined colour and clear coat touch up paint and paint pens — NEW to the UK! Mixed to order from registration number. 100% colour match guaranteed from 250,000+ colours available. Fast UK delivery. www.touchuppaintfactory.com TOUCH UP PAINT. lay) a erate Ded eae | [ett i dgCrean a ao Sed Pe ery Pree oe rte Sey eee Seana nere tos Cree ee Ses Pee mee ccd ee eee Et Ty FIRST IMPRESSIONS Dugh whe te cars may appears be ary more ferent tbecomes quickly apparent (personally we prefer TMSZS ches). whic ‘Dynami Sie Spas thesis. Oh ard te altmportant age slapped toltsranp, which oly coms as prt ol yourms2 Power Upgrade @ndisit ey). And that's about syshavenit tthe need alenhancements. the | eet See eC ee cence een ere) eee ty arene Asyoucan imagine, when werreceived an OMe eee? ewere naturally er) Cees esis eee eee er eee? Seon eae especially given the weather conditions we te cerned Pee rT cere tel reeset erence etre ene ed Serta eee ee etn omens Ne OTT Se een Ponte Ce pect Cleo areca cum) eeTAMING BEAST Ifyou find VW’s current range of performance Tro Ace ena Dac Ree a Ten ean COOP RYAT RUT Pam er vant ‘your appetite. It’s certainly CRC mCaTiaTE ee are TED Fern a a nel me re gig“THE GUYS HAVEN'T FELT THE NEED TO GO OVERBOARD WITH THE VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS TUNING FOR GROWN-UPS” 034 Hor HarcH HE!‘STAGE 2+ POWER UPGRADES “The Stage 2+ Power upgrade sls centred around anew repiacoment Golf spec turbocharger. This, inturs fedby one of m52% High Row x3 induction kts (wthalleone Induction ose) which work art vsully but seriously enpron There ae looking athereis something ate special on Ee eee birt Were pleased on this mal demonstrator hi UpgradedtoanmS2hybritem defintely needed wit the extra power on tap here. HOT HATCH HEROES 035Crean ayaa COntuming thekey the car comes ole wth nice buble saute note but hes off rice quatytone.nterms of nie the guys have spentaotof time geting the exhaust notejust ight Again, t sounds special ontickover and quitelay when yourediainginthe ‘trot, but while cusingor driving off boost heres no annoying boom er drone Youget the reassurance that what youre delng wih i qualty produc that has haghours of RED put ito. rather than something that wasknocked upina shed The tubo muffler delete algo aworthwhe adston, because nat only does eradicate thetubulence inked withthe OE Rem, italeo enhances abitof the ‘urbonoise, soit’ win-win in our books.’ aso saidto smooth ‘ut the aon, which intr improves turbo response and general performance, bit notes the aference you probably have to dive thisear bck to back witha stock model Thankfuly we were wormed that the clutch bing points tle higher up the peda than stock. salsa bit harsh fest but toes take longo adept. Wed desenbe snot being quite asvilent as 9 cn pale clutch youve ever sampledone, thee kind of ono of), but een not quite as smooth and progressive asa standard tem. Regardless, the kindof paver fand no less than 369 fof torque) ts cari producingi'sa musthaveand something thet can't eally be avoided ‘Ae we aid, m2 has alsa installed one ofl quick sft mmachanem whichis anather must. offers a shorter how, but nike the short shifs of years gone by (think MI GTM), which were far {oo shot and natty his one delves the shorter actonin such away ‘thatifenotevenobvousitsthere, Genus! 036 HoTHaTcH HEROESRea ae ONS tS ba) ee UD eee aS CSE aa tt) te a ee TAMING THE BEAST HOT HATCH HEROES O37MK7 VW GOLF GTI CONCLUSION drt quate know what io expect wth goingto bea hand iththe ms2 re efined safety features andthe worry td for thernostminoe of ving offen ight ‘nd et did ook much ferent rom ease model cr ‘m2 Stage 2+ GTI gave us sia feeing, Kputs a huge onyour face te momentyoutun the ky, t vathout making you feel ike yout diving te automo ‘equivalent ofan ASBO What more could you asker? COTE Pn = ornate t Cc ce —Pe She ACA een ola SangPREMIUM PERFORMANCE HATCHES honhochatches fest appeared they were affordable performance heroes, cars that ‘Were attainable fr almost everyone, cars that delivered impressive performance and electrifying handling all without breakingthe bank. However, as the AUDI S3 AND “The frst gen 6 AB was launchedin 1996 andused the VW Group platfrm, as shared by tbe Go and ud TT amang others, withthe hot $3 arrving in 1989. Where youcouldhaveyourASinthee-or fve-doofrms the $3 ony cameinthe more sporty three door favour and was poweredby a20-aive “bv fourier turbocharged engine, making this the ret AuciS model witha fourpotunder the bonnet. nally the engine pradueed’0hp, hich stil made tthe most powerflearin ts sector but from 2001 vanabie valve ming was inroduced which raised power to 25, while both models had 270% 040 Hor HATCH HEROES years went byhatches started getting progressively hotter and ever mare popular and the more upmarket German ‘manufacturers namely Audi, BMW and “Mercedes realised they were missing outona Iuerative slice ofthe motoring market and decided it was imeto throw thei ats into the RS3 fof torque. TheS3came fitedas standard witha se speed manual gearbox. Thecar wore thequato Dodge tough nts the actual quatro 480 ster instead uliing a Haldex setup, mating the ‘3 font dve-biased, with the sytem sending torque tothe earwhedsit sip was detected With plenty of power that sicspeed gearbox and four wheel dive the S3 was an impressive package and served up some seriously impressive performance, witha ‘6-second0-621ime (6.4 for the 225hp version) anda ‘S0mphtop speed. The performance wasbackedup bythe adtion of gent led arches, 17° Avus alloy, "ing, When this tro entered the fay they brought with them the ure of more ‘upmarket materials and interiors along with ‘he kudos that comes with those badges and, Dpetween ther, this German triumvirate has ‘ereated some seriously ferce pocket sized machines. anda mare aggressive front bumper andrear fuer, While leather and Alcantara Racaoe were fitedinsie ‘andthe generous standard equpmentincluded HDs ‘and climate contol The 2002 facelift bought with Itrevisedheadights ferent front wings, new rear light clusters anda few minos changes tthe interior trim. While the S3maynothavebeen thelast word indtving dynamics, was suetooted whatever the \weatharandarapid ross counirymactine that til Tooks good day and, thanks tots impressive bul ‘quali fs acer thathas stood heest of time. 12003 the GP Aus 3 was revealed an thattesta" ieaver! Ingressepetomer ‘meant new $9 mode was on thehrizn, wth theca avng in 2006;unike the the BP model was avalabein five-door Sportback form after the 352008 acai for those wanting litiemore practealtyo gowih ther performance. The second- gen 3 non camewitha 20-tefoureyinder FI engine making avery healthy 265hp, wth uated pistons larger turbo and intercooler and revised Software. The engine was pied witha si speed manual gearbox once agen flea six-speed Tonle twi-lutch ransmssion was alo avaliable and.as before, the S3 used aHaldex WD syst, With a hefty helping of power, 0-62mph came upin Just 55 seconds whlethetop speed was limited to 185mph Elsewhere, Aud ted uprated suspension sthreised springs and damper, ger alloys and more aggressive sting was aso add. Withthe second:gen A3came the rst RS3 model axalabeciyinfve dor Sportback orm. Frthis fulathigh performance incamation, Audi wert outand ited aS ite ve-cyinder engine pushing ‘ut 340 tubochargedhorsepawe along with 3821 fof torque. wa sever-speedS Tronic gearbox and quattro AWD that meant blstering 629 time ofjuet 4 seconde wthan electronicaliited 1S5mphtop speed. The chassisunderwent some serous changes with wider tack 225mm lover rie height over 19" wheels and behind them sat fourpot trot calipers with 370mmalses. Thestying was more aggresive than that ofthe $3 though sil subtle with deeper front air dam fled front wings made from earn fle, cuter side skirt, matt. slumiium miror covers, prominantroof speller and ‘rear cffuser Inside, mean, here were sports ‘Seat fished in Napp leather with contrasting ser sttchng and afat-botlomedsteetng whee. ‘The thic-gen BV A3arvedin 2073 andthe S2 appeared straight way now boastingnolessthan fourbody styles ~ the hve door hatchback five-door Sportback, convertible and saloon Asbeforeltwas powered by a2 Ole fourcyindec turbo engine but thie time thewekhad been trned up that much ‘ures with upgrades that included lightweight oy cinder head, uprated pistons and con rods andi was now producing 200hp and 2805 of torque. AS before tcame ith quatro all wheel drive and ashe speed manual gearboxas standard wile the S Tron transmission was available as an optional extra = wth ‘more power the S3 was faster than ever before, iting (amphin 2 seconds in manual form and just 48 seconds with thes Tronic gearbox. The featured more aggressive sting, alowerrde lg large heels and quad exhausts forte fst time ‘With the S3 naw a fastasitwas the RSS needed tobe even wilder and so Aud tumed tale way up to 1 Gong onsalein 015intne-door Sportback form it estured a2 5 tre fve-pot engine as before, now making asetiously hefty 367h9 and 3436 fo torque channeled tal four wheolevia standar fivsever-speed dua-elutch Tone gearbox This ‘meant scrching0-62mph time of ust 3 seconds anda ited op speed of 155mm natural, hough thiscoulébe ised to T74mph. 2077, power was Increased to 400hp and 3540 fof ore, which ropped the 062mph sprint oust 1 seconds. ‘This generation of RS featured a shy more cupple suspension setupto improve de quality andthe Haldex quattro setup sent orque to therear wheels more quckytoreduce understeer, with upto 100% beng crectedrearwardfrequred Standard featuresinctuded redesigned front and rear bumpers cexclusveto the RSQ, alongwith 19" wheels, roof pole and ea ifluser while insideteame equipped withNopoaleather seats and Alcantara tim onthe steering whee The fourth gen BY AS launchedin 2020 andthe '3 narration avaiablein Sprtbeck and salon versions, appeared with 310hp and 2950 fo torque ‘roms turbocharged 20-Rrefourcyinder engine, with quattro 4WD as avays anda seven speed dua ‘uch gearboxes the on transmission option. That ‘omboresutsina0-62rph time of just 4.8 seconds withthe top speedimited to 15Soph a always. The new $3 features afourinkrear ade and sts 15mm lower aver tandard ft 1s while other adctons Include redesigned beadighs anew gilean front ples redesigned flanks that emphasiae the rear trches,aprominent fuser and quad exhausts at the rear. nig, meanwhile, youTfind new sports seats along with carbon and aluminium tim elererts. At thetime of wring the new RS3isyet to bereleased buthased on availabe formation looks ke ll beavalabein Sportback and saloon forms wth comfortably over 400hp, with quatro aD a given ‘and. seven speed dua-cluch gearbox. Settorelease Infate2021,the fourth gen RSS ook ke wiltake ‘us hottest hate further and faster than ever. HOT HATCH HEROES O41PREMIUM PERFORMANCE HATCHES BMW 130i, M135i AND M140i Considering BMW's long stanngimolerent with performance machinery along wits eagerness tw abvaystry and ouperformtrivalsinary given sector tis somewhat surprising tatttook he Bavarian company 2s ng as tid to getonthe hot hatch bandwagon. notto mention into the hatchback rmatktinthefst place. BMW hada go st making somethingresembing ahatchbock with the E36 and E46 Compact models but these werelitlersore ‘than3 Series thet looked have had a chunk lopped ‘offtherear end and nether prove that popular nor was ther ever a tly ht variant. wast unl 2004, wth the arrival ofthe fst generation EB 1 Seis, ‘that MW offered is firtres hatchback model and ithiteame the company's fist hot htc, the 130, butt’ fat ay tht t made pforlost tie. Ina ovable in fve-dooe £67 formony he most impressive aspect of the 130 was, wthouta doubts ‘engin. Siting Beneath the bonnet was thenatualy 042 HoT HATCH HEROES aspirated 3.0:ve N52 producing 265hp and 23216 for torque, which meant a0-2mph ime oft 63 seconds andan electronics limited top speedot 185mph impressive performance that was served upuithbath a seriously sexy straight sx soundrack and na rearhee ve chasis making tuque inthehot hatch sector atthetime a well = one of the few RiVDhatches to have ever been produced. ‘Asthe 130iwasrita special model aside fom ts engine i have any rly unique features as al of islessspcy counterparts were als avaible in SE and M Spot tim, The ater was the armoee popular option adding 18s, sport seats and sterng whee ‘more aggressive sting and loner, stiffer suspension. ‘ears camewitha sb speed manual gearbox as. standard ith a s-spaed auto avaiable as an opton ‘nd, 2008, the ee-door E61 wos als addedto thelinewe, Wile the 1301 was animpresivehot hatch alkaround it wast a unique, special model ke ‘Aural oferings butal hat changed when the second: generation F2e1 Seniesa launched in 2011 andthe MI35\artved 2072 avaiable in both three-and five-door body styles. Where the 130 had ben a Series witha bigger engin. the MIaSiwasa ‘compete performance made wth that Minceating ‘hiswas part of BMWs M Performance fami, tffectonately dubbed Mites by ther fana, While nota fuHatMcay the M13Sieceieda significant ‘election of enancements hat sei apart roms lesser sings and made sure that itso outbothin themarksplace andonthe street. nthe outside, t featured sculpted sying that was further enhanced bythe adaton of Feric gre element including front bumper intake fins, mires and te unique 18, long with winexhaust tips andatigbeke setup with fourpot ont calipers and two pstonrears, Under the boner sat he singleturbo 30-tre NSS saint sx, ‘The ni was aseins evermance machineon ae here making 320hp along with 332 ftoftorque delveredto the rearwheels, andwiththe opens and excellent ight speed at ited that meant 0-62mph tmeofust49:seconds, long with he cbigatory 5&mph electronical ted top speed, In2015 the car eeceived a facet which brought th itresed and more agressive styling, ational Stancardequipmentandan atonal 6p lof ‘whichmade the Mi that it bt mere appealing Filly 2016 the M140artived ~ whe it fooked viral dentialtothe MI35ithe big ference ‘was under the bonnet. where there now atthe BSB, fala 2.0ite singlet taight sx bth new ngie featured several revisions inclng an uprated ‘urbocharger and an ae fo water chargecooler eeu. Invent 40itmade an impressive 40h and a massive 368 tof txque which meant blistering 0-62 eof ust 46 seconds withthe eight speed nes orem auto gearbox optioned ‘The hid generation Fx 1 Series arived in 2019 and, perheps confusingly, wasnow badged asthe 1Mi35ixDrivebut considering how differenti was fromitspredecassar perhaps twas good dea to make acear distinction beweenthe modes Despite sharing almost the exact same dimensions asthe previous F2xgeneraton thenew carlooked much Targer wth softer rounder stying though nits M351 guise BMW made sure looked sutaby aggressive. As before, there as amore aggressive fro bumper withFeric ore elements, sulted side skits, roof spoiler a gloss back rea ciffuser having twin talipes,anditst rm lower over 18535 standard vwthlarger brakes an buecalper while on theinsie ‘there wereunique spots seats medin Alcantara with single-piece backrest, So fas standardfast 1 Series fare but the F40 generatoncamevtha A couple of major changes. The isto these was to be found under the bonnet ~in lace ofthe previous ‘generations swensong BSB strigh-six BMW Instead ft the 2.0 tre ourynder turbo B48, ‘making 306hp and 232 fot torque, slighty own ‘on number bt also down on weight tipping the ‘scales at 32g less than it sioner presecessor andthe carts was also shay ight than the [Mid0\itrepiaced. The other majorchange was tothe Arvevain wth fournhee ve system that saw thet xDrive operating primary in ronewnee- tive nade but with the lt to send up 10 50% of thetorqustothe ear wheels whenrequred With the Standord-fteight-speed auto and AWD traction, the 'Mi35ix0rive wouldhit 62mph must 48 seconds ‘and whleitmight lack ts predecessor's straight six ‘soundtrack and rear-wheel ave chassis remains anincrebly impressive and seriously ot hatch HOT HATCH HEROES O43PCS Le Ue) = mates 4th vie MERCEDES- cee A35 AND A45 AMG awthupratedbrakes bonne, where the 2.0sretubo four ptremained ler houghamereflron aer kt et inside there were extremely (044 Hor HaTcH HEROEPet Ho are with ne joints and ower wishbones slong witha rear sblrame mounted directly tothebody and 2 ren steering ack, plus age brakes with four pot frentcaliper along with 1" whoes. The exterior was ve front bumper, sie extensions ref spole: andrea diffuser wihtwn, talpes whl the interorcame vith sports seats and achunky atbottemed steering wheel While mainland Euro ed the 88h Ad5, forthe UK ‘market the decision wasmadetoekp the mile chidof the A Class AMG range ard only offer the fut A4SS and what bral machin ts. Under ‘the bonnet sts the M189 engine, based onthe 35s 1Mi33 but with some signeantrevigons, including ci eas ages | Perc Emery ‘the whole engine being tuned 190"in the bay improv alow and cooing, abigher compression rato of9.03an uprated tuo andan ato-water chargecooler setup. The sore 421 and 369 of the M139 the most powerful seies- production fourinder engine and giving ita speci output of have. Power edtothe whee peed dul clutch geatbox andthe Aa Input dvd torque between te font and rear axles, upt0a50:50spli.theres amechanicl SO atthe font and an electronic one atthe rear along Par ee ‘nee ie 20. wih drift mode opin. Puta hat together and you ‘getonincceibie 0-62 te of 29 seconde anda top "62rmeh meaning the AMS S AMG icone of alythe ASS sibling via ts wider terms ace but aria aren going tat by watch That means the next generation of premium performance hatches s going wo reach dzzying new heights of power and we ca wat mt HOT HATCH HERSUSPENSION SPRINGS - THE BASICS Inaverybasioview ofthe suspension system, the _sptings suppor the weight of yourcarand contolthe ‘ide eight andits vertical ‘mation over bumps, They otha bystorngthe eneray sedi compress them by ‘bumps inthe road andthen releasing tbackiniothe Carinacontaled manner thanks tothe dampers, 046 Hor HarcH HEROE: SPRING RATE “The spring rate usual referedtoin bs though yout sso see kg/mm), dates how much aspcngwllcompress ‘depending on theload applied. For example. asprin wth ‘linear rateof250bs/in simply compresses I for erry 250lbs cad applied it Soaloed of 125% wil commpress itV2" end 500s load willeompresa 2" Aspeng witha progressiverat gradually gets stiferastheloadincreases, £0 150/500bs/n sping willeompress 1” wit 150s load ‘on .but may need 25088 t0 compress the next inch and ‘then 400be forthe tie inch unt reaches SOO oad to ‘move another inch. Locking atitthe opposite wa, asthe load Increases let’ say 1506 at atime, the sping compresses less andess unt 50Ib may only compress ita furter 1 ‘The spring rate of any ven springs determined bythe wire clameter mateialand numberof coils (ahichrlates ‘the overall length ofthe wire). Thelarger te ameter ofthe wire tre higher the sprngrat, butthemore cols the spring has the lower the epringrate. The sping ratecanbe made progressiveon single col springy tapering he wireso thatthe thinner wires alowerspringrate than the larger ‘ameter wre. On most high performance applications where variable spring rats require, the system ostacking cols offtiferngrates on acoiver shock absorbers used, which allows both progressive nd diressive suspension setups.PROGRESSIVE SPRINGS Progressive springs.are created by ateng the col iameterasopposedtothe wire ameter for eaoe of manufactur dco. ‘On colores, however. progressive rates achieved by stacking two or more springs ‘ontopaeach other progressive sping rate stats soft and hen ‘progressively ‘ets harder so that asthe suspension Sarstotrael the springrateis soft and comfortable, sosking up small bumps ‘and keeping the yres in contact withthe ‘oad Asload nreases, the spring rate ‘lsoincreases allowing fer eontrolinmoce ‘spied situations, Ths brings us tothe use fof astacked pa of springsfor optimum performance using alight sping for ‘soaking up small bumps known as 8 ‘tender spring which canbe iedate or progressive. tis designed to fully compress into colbind and then allow the main spring ae eR Ret) eh todelverthe fina oping rat. Tereis also emt ener mene nee iets eae ‘another ype of sping usedina stacked er ee net eee me el ne as sping setup called helper spring which ee eer eee erate ae ‘as veryow sping rateandis designed eer enter See eee ates ee ee Toray toretainthe main spring onto the spring ea ea eer oes ee ect eee perches during ful suspension avel ony Diseonieernednt teetchieaereenis combo iene per er pera et ‘orwhan the suspensions hanging having cep einer oe peer ennnteerr mroreunyenny imesh or aviv Hin rally effect onthe spring att tment lowing youtoobtin the perfect ie height on more oe budget. the combination DAMPERS: WHAT DO THEY DO? ‘When your car its a bum, wheter tsa sudden shocker a show ‘undulation, energy from the wheels is anette the suspension pings which compress, stoing the eneray untl the burp is passed andthen the ‘pang retumsitby extending backo ts orginansaledlengih As he ‘sping does thi, llextend pasts erignal poston unt the car retuns ‘the energy tothe sping and thi wl set upanoszlation inthe cat and it willcontrweto bounce uncontoledforalong while. These uncotrled ‘ounces wl significant affect thehandling of theca thre needs ta be some way of controling the spring, ands isthe function ofthe damper it fectvely resists the fast movementofthe sprig by absorbing the eneay ‘of he spring, usualy trough heat absorption and campers are thereto ‘stop the sping from bouncing unconraes, HOT HATCH HEROES O47SUSPENSION (048 Hot HaTcH HEROE COILOVERS youre ooking te golow andor want hebesthandlng upgrade, colors ‘are what you need. Collovers are jus call springs ted over dampers, hence ‘the name, but they offer more than a simple spring/damper combo with crenthe mostbasicollvers coming wihheight adjustment va threaded sections onthe coloverhousings. Most coloverswillofer some form (of damping adjustment and as heprice nreases, so does thelevlof functional offered by asetup. Withmostcolovers the lower youge, the ‘more youre reducing spring travel by compressing tan the more youre stiffening youre, something tobear mind, butsome use shortened colverstuthousings, so even at masa lowering the remaining spring travelisnot affected Pretty much ll coloverswillotfer one-way damping adjustment this usualy combines compression and rebound behaviouto one aster, ‘tating how quickly te pston nthe damper wl move though he fluid wii. Increase your front damper ates nd youl up understeer by Increasing rear-end ge ncrease ear rates and youl increase front-end op bt yurcar ile more inclined to overseer, so getingthe balance ight Iserucial A two way adustable damper wlletyouindependenty contol ‘comession and rebound setings compression or bump) detateshow the damper wlrecto the intial encounter with abump to fm and theridewilbeharsh andthe car might evento the groundin extreme creumstanes. To tle daring and the car might ive under braking and rollbeariy trough comers. Rebound, meanwhile, affects hon uiclythe damper returns to ts normal eight~ ahigh ebound setting wil cause the ston to move alt more stonlyandcan even cause theca eave the ‘ground, especialy during comerng, as can often be seen on turing crs; twolow,andyoul get soft walony suspension There are also fou-way