Anyone know about euro hot hatches?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yazza
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Originally posted by Famine
I have NO idea. But it's an MR, 3.0 V6. The engine is where the rear seats on all the other Clios are. There is no "hatchback" for it to BE a hatchback.

The key factor - other than the existence of a hatchback - for a car to be a hot hatch is the power+practicality. There is no luggage space at all in the Renaultsport Clio V6 250 - you can fit a bag under the bonnet (hood?) and whatever you can get on the passenger seat.

It's a laugh to drive though :D
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Yeah thats true.. it has no real practicality unlike the other cars mentioned in the list.

Did you really get to drive one? How is it?
 
Fast...! When I still had a job - and thought I still would - I was caught between which one to buy - a Toyota Supra Twin Turbo (Mk4) or a Renaultsport Clio V6 230 (the previous generation to the 250); they ran at about the same price. Everything told me to get the Supra - the power, the style, the space, the comfort, the practicality (compared to a no-seat, no-space pocket rocket), but I just couldn't help thinking of the Clio and it's glorious, unashamed single-mindedness...

The 230 version is shocking in the handling department, especially in the wet (and I live in the UK). The 250 is so much better it's not even funny - but the price was prohibitive.

And lo, I lost my job, so it wasn't my decision any more :(
 
Man I feel like Im living on the wrong continent. Im such a pro-european but Im stuck here in North America. If only my dad was still working at Opel right now... I would be German! hehe

Edit: I say this because Europe gets most of the bad ass cars. I know gas is more expensive.. but you guys still get the bad ass cars. What do we have here that you guys dont? A Mustang, wooo.. :rolleyes:
 
ehm.. yes you have Mustangs :rolleyes:

:O :lol:
 

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In fact, the UK is overly blessed. One part of the country - Alderley Edge in Cheshire - has a greater population per surface area of Ferraris and Lamborghinis than Modena. Then of course we get out Jaguar XKR-R, Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Lotus Esprit, Lotus Elise, Lotus Exige, Lotus M250, TVR Cerbera, TVR Chimaera, TVR Tuscan (and Tuscan S... Mmmmm), Ginetta, Westfield (FW500!), Caterham (Megabusa!) and so on all built here, mostly for us. :D
 
Originally posted by Famine
In fact, the UK is overly blessed. One part of the country - Alderley Edge in Cheshire - has a greater population per surface area of Ferraris and Lamborghinis than Modena. Then of course we get out Jaguar XKR-R, Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Lotus Esprit, Lotus Elise, Lotus Exige, Lotus M250, TVR Cerbera, TVR Chimaera, TVR Tuscan (and Tuscan S... Mmmmm), Ginetta, Westfield (FW500!), Caterham (Megabusa!) and so on all built here, mostly for us. :D
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Wouldnt you rather see Mustangs? :p
 
Watch the film Johnny English... Listen to that Aston Martin Vanquish and go all... wibbly. Similarly with Die Another Day (although in that case they replaced the engine with a... Mustang engine and played the original V12's exhaust note over the top...).
 
Originally posted by Famine
In fact, the UK is overly blessed. One part of the country - Alderley Edge in Cheshire - has a greater population per surface area of Ferraris and Lamborghinis than Modena. Then of course we get out Jaguar XKR-R, Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Lotus Esprit, Lotus Elise, Lotus Exige, Lotus M250, TVR Cerbera, TVR Chimaera, TVR Tuscan (and Tuscan S... Mmmmm), Ginetta, Westfield (FW500!), Caterham (Megabusa!) and so on all built here, mostly for us. :D
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I hate all these cars - and these are supposed to be the best of the best. Why do I say I'm not biased against British cars? The only British cars I even remotely like are Land Rovers and the X-type.
 
The Subaru Vivio is currently somewhere over Utah at 18,000 feet. :D

The WRX Wagon - whilst officially being called a hatchback (the car in the UK is the Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 AWD Hatchback) isn't actually in the hot-hatch category. It's lumped into "Sport Saloons" with it's 4 door brother.

Besides, a 280hp 4WD isn't really in the spirit of Hot Hatchedness (the Golf R32 is only in because it's got some FF siblings).
 
Originally posted by M5Power
I hate all these cars - and these are supposed to be the best of the best. Why do I say I'm not biased against British cars? The only British cars I even remotely like are Land Rovers and the X-type.
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*stunned face*

The only British cars you like are Fords?

The only car on that list I'd turn down would be the Lotus M250 - you get a parking scratch on that and it costs £4000 - to replace the glassfibre monocoque bodyshell. And it's bloody ugly... :D But a 5.0 V8 TVR rumbling away is one of the finest sounds on the Earth today. As with the 6.0 V12 from the Vanquish at full chat. And the Westfield FW and Caterham Megabusa are just different gravy...
 
u still dont believe me, do i have to drill it in to you? 1st off ive given you 2 screenshots of the roadcar, in 2 different colours, meaning there is more than 1 road car, then i give you numerous shots of the race car and your telling me it never raced, if 1 car was made & not raced fair enough, but three now thats ridiculous, heres a pic of the elise gt1 racing for benetton

1969002.jpg


still not happy? here

Zeltweg-1997-08-03-007.jpg


these must all be still photos as well musnt they, just cause the alloys arent blurry doesnt mean its still, it could be good photography as it usually is, and just cause you cant see a driver through the reflections on a windscreen dont mean there isnt one.

LOOK they set 1 on fire for fun, & look a driver!

Zeltweg-1997-08-03-014.jpg


how many can u see in the next pic

Zeltweg-1997-08-03-hg2.jpg


i can understand your doubtfulness, but just because you prove people wrong most of the time, it doesnt mean you have to be hard headed about everything. Hope this clears up the elise gt1 for you.
 
on the subject of the lotus elise, check this out

elise.jpg


lotus2.jpg


lotus3.jpg


lotus4.jpg


Forget about the performance for a bit, just look how crazy this car looks, i hope this is in GT4's lineup, itll be the only way ill ever get to "drive 1" ;) :trouble: :mad:
 
Originally posted by Yazza
on the subject of the lotus elise, check this out

Forget about the performance for a bit, just look how crazy this car looks, i hope this is in GT4's lineup, itll be the only way ill ever get to "drive 1" ;) :trouble: :mad:
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Holy ****, this is nice. Yep I sure hope they put this in GT4.
 
Originally posted by Famine
The WRX Wagon - whilst officially being called a hatchback (the car in the UK is the Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 AWD Hatchback) isn't actually in the hot-hatch category. It's lumped into "Sport Saloons" with it's 4 door brother.
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The WRX Wagon is that... a station wagon :p Not a hatchback.
 
Originally posted by Yazza
u still dont believe me, do i have to drill it in to you? 1st off ive given you 2 screenshots of the roadcar, in 2 different colours, meaning there is more than 1 road car, then i give you numerous shots of the race car and your telling me it never raced, if 1 car was made & not raced fair enough, but three now thats ridiculous, heres a pic of the elise gt1 racing for benetton
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You gave me the link - I read it. The page said "only 1 road car was made".

The previous picture you posted of the yellow/black Elise GT1 was a still. No ifs, no buts. It was a still.
 
I guess admitting you were wrong is out of the question, but just take care next time you accuse others of being wrong, they just mite be right & lighten up a bit, i wouldve thought a car enthusiast like you wouldve been happy to have your info updated and clarified.
 
That Gemballa GtR 750 EVO is pure madness, the stats read 750bhp, 225mph topspeed, 3.5sec 0-60mph, and we all know most are always released with a small buffer attached to allow for private testers criticism. That car would be a real contender for the GT World Championship in GT4.

Actually i think the HP mite b 850, its the standard 750 that has 750bhp i think, that EVO has 850 i think.
 
Originally posted by Yazza
I guess admitting you were wrong is out of the question, but just take care next time you accuse others of being wrong, they just mite be right & lighten up a bit, i wouldve thought a car enthusiast like you wouldve been happy to have your info updated and clarified.
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Update and clarify this.

"the only road going car was produced. GTI Racing auctioned that off at the Monaco Grand Prix shortly after parting company with Lotus."

Taken from...? http://www.pistonheads.com/lotus/elise/Default.asp?storyId=4764 - the link YOU GAVE ME. But I'm guessing corroborative sources can be selectively ignored if they contradict you as well, eh? They only made 1 road-going car, but yet you've seen two... Fascinating.
 
If you cant accept the facts then stop posting, your just showing how ill tempered you are over being proven wrong. No need to get your knickers in a twist over a little bit of info, you made a mistake, so what, let it go!
 
So... I'm the one that can't accept the facts. But you're the one ignoring the facts you posted?

Your source says 1 road car. You say you've "seen" two. Is your source wrong, or are you?

Oh - and personal insults are against GTP's Acceptable Use Policy. Debate is not.
 
I can see i aint gonna get anywhere like this, ok ok, i was wrong, ive always been wrong, your the man, you can calm down now.
 
Originally posted by Famine
*stunned face*

The only British cars you like are Fords?
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Well - I hate most supercars. I think they're impractical, stupid, and overly expensive. I would never in a million years own one - TVR is, in my opinion, the worst offender, and Lotus isn't far behind (though, to be fair, Porsche and all those 'independent' supercar makes like Pagani easily make my list too).

That doesn't leave much in the way of British cars - I'm not an S-Type or XJ Jaguar fan, but I do love the Land Rover products even though I had a bad ownership experience with a Discovery and I like the Jaguar X-Type. I do absolutely love the current MG line - should've mentioned that.

Also to be fair - I like just about every non-supercar Britain gets; I spend hours daydreaming about cars I will never even see in the US.
 
Hmm. Well, there's a pepper red Cerbera 4.2 been in our local paper for 12 months - 1997, 28,000 miles, £14k. Stuff fits in the boot, if you don't mash the accelerator you get decent fuel economy and you get "the sound" :D

Lotus and TVR do have reliability issues, but they're not as bad as they were in the 1980s. In fact, they're probably better than Vauxhall (owned by GM) and Rover (owned by BMW).

If I got the chance, I would own a TVR - probably not the Griffith though, as I don't have a death wish. Although it IS the best looker. They're coming in at new-Mondeo money for 3-4 year old cars now, they tend to have not been thrashed (if you ever open up the throttle on a TVR you'll know why :D), most are low milers with FSH...
 

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