Favourite Hot Hatch?

Oh, none at all........

*cough*

Thay are bloody good handlers. Even the XUD-T engine (which is quite heavy) utterly fails to mess up the 306's intuitive driving responses.

They're good cars indeed and the passive rear steering (Citroen's ZX had the same rear suspension setup) was a stroke of well applied genius. All this without making the car's ride as stiff and uncomfortable as that of a trolley jack.
 
was never really into hot hatches, but will be looking soonish for the mrs. she wants a saxo vtr or vts.
but if i had to choose it would be a fiesta rs or pumas are nice, basicly same car though.
 
I'm sorry it wouldn't win, even a gti6 would run rings around it,

cold hard facts,

the 205 is over second quicker to 60, is based on years of racing pedigree and one of the best chassis of all time, it has 4wd ,not to mention it is basically a rally car
 
Road going rally car though, made specifically for the job of competing at the highest level (of those days) of the WRC, surely that's enough to win the arguement?

I just refuse to believe that the 205 would loose due to the fact it is a purpose built machine made by some of the best in the business
 
The Sunbeam Lotus was pretty unique in its day but suspension design progressed a million miles since then. I'd imagine the Sunbeam would be pretty twitchy on the limit so to beat a modern high performance hatch would take some serious driver input.

I can't really qualify this though, I've never driven one.

Were they all black with gold detailing?
 
Not sure on the colours.
My mate had one about 5 or 6 years ago.
All he did to it was lower it and stuck some wide 15 inch wheels to it IIRC and it did actually handle pretty well.
It's a Lotus creation nuff said really.
 
I've no doubt that it is a good car but I don't see it beating the 205 t16,

Peugeot are one of the most successful manufactures in motorsport so they used that technology to build an awesome car,

I agree to disagree with you as I now see this argument pointless
 
Why because someone has a different view to someone else it's assumed it is an argument?
I'm not interested in argueing thats not what i'm here for.
I have an opinion so I am throwing it in there.
You Jarrus are Bias anyway to Peugeot so you only see yours as the right answer.
For me I think on a nice twisty country road it would be a good race and I would have my money on the Lotus but that My opinion.
 
As it seems I have started a little eeerrrr 'banter' here I will put my worth in and just say I have seen these little dare I say Lotus hatches perform on the track.

And to put it bluntly they left Ferrari Scuderias behind on the bends and the only time the Ferraris caught them up was on the straights.

Originally they put the Sunbeams in with the Scoobies and Supras but they trounced the lot of them so moved them up to exotics and they still gave them a damn good run for there money.


I am sure these particular Sunbeams were not from factory, the thing is no matter what you did to a 205 T16 even with bat wings would not perform like these Lotuses did and that would be my arguement
 
We are all saying nearly the same thing. I still think that you'd need an exceptional track driver to get the best from the Sunbeam's abilities.

Pitch me in one of them against me in a similarly powerful modern hatch I'd beat myself driving the modern one against myself in the Sunbeam.

Someone with significant track experience would get a different result I expect. If we allowed the Sunbeam to be fitted with modern tyres then I think it would be even clearer.

Peugeot has generally made good handling cars but it's not the only manufacturer that can do this.
 
We are all saying nearly the same thing. I still think that you'd need an exceptional track driver to get the best from the Sunbeam's abilities.

Pitch me in one of them against me in a similarly powerful modern hatch I'd beat myself driving the modern one against myself in the Sunbeam.

Someone with significant track experience would get a different result I expect. If we allowed the Sunbeam to be fitted with modern tyres then I think it would be even clearer.

Peugeot has generally made good handling cars but it's not the only manufacturer that can do this.


Mate I have to disagree. You have to remember the Sunbeam is Rwd and you know that give it the edge anyway on a Fwd.
On this matter I have to agree with Jagz.
 
Mate I have to disagree. You have to remember the Sunbeam is Rwd and you know that give it the edge anyway on a Fwd.
On this matter I have to agree with Jagz.

I know that the Sunbeam is RWD and that's why I think it would need a good track driver to get the best from it.

Modern FWD hatches are very very grippy and will simply scrub off speed with ploughing understeer. Anyone can drive a modern FWD hatch quickly and safely.

The short wheelbase of the Sunbeam will make it very twitchy as the lateral limit is approached. With RWD this can make for extreme weight transfer if driver input is not delivered smoothly.

Perching a RWD hatch on the edge of it's natural lateral limit is specialist stuff.

Or, at least, I can't do it.
 
This isn't An argument I'm going to win by the looks of things,

But as a last attempt to prove how brilliant peugeots are on a track I'll find a couple of videos of 306 gti6s chasing down far more powerful metal around the nurbegring (however it is spelt)
 
I did introduce the track thing to this thread so blame me for that one.

My car control is very good indeed but I am not a rehearsed track driver. I suspect that I'd be far happier forcing a Peugeot 308 round a track than I would be doing the same with a Talbot Sunbeam.
 
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I agree with hdi a modern fwd car would leave a lotus/talbot sunbeam around a track imho! Cause already stated by hdi a short wheel base and rwd is not the best combination!
This was proven with the audi quattro;)
 
I agree with hdi a modern fwd car would leave a lotus/talbot sunbeam around a track imho! Cause already stated by hdi a short wheel base and rwd is not the best combination!
This was proven with the audi quattro;)


Disagree how about it keeping up with a Modern Rwd? And a modern Fwd.
Infact how about the Lotus thrashing them both.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xEryV8N-q4
Now after watching that tell me they can't handle.;)
 
I don't think anyone is saying that they don't handle well.

All I'm saying is that it would take a lot more effort and rehearsal by me to get it round the track as quickly as I could in a high powered modern hot hatch with relatively little effort.
 
I don't think anyone is saying that they don't handle well.

All I'm saying is that it would take a lot more effort and rehearsal by me to get it round the track as quickly as I could in a high powered modern hot hatch with relatively little effort.


Now I feel modern cars are just too easy to drive at speed. I'd prefer a car with no ABS or powersteering for the track but thats just me. I like to be able to feel the road through the steering wheel and I find that the newer the car the less feedback you get through the controls.
 
Is the Astra Gte classed as a Hatchback?
Cracking cars the 2.0 8v. I've had a few and they was bulletproof for me. I had a black one mind that liked eating driveshafts. IMO a little quicker than most 16v's as well.
 
yes its a hatch, and a dam good one for speed, not the 8v they were pants, the 16v redtop however is VERY fast in a straight line, but you have to be very comfortable with the car to really drive it hard as they love throwing the back out on you if you bottle it!

Unfortunately they got destroyed through corners by the likes of mk2 Golf GTI 16v. which for me, is THE hot hatch. so much so im buying a rather special one on Sunday :)

185bhp may not be a massive number, but at around the tonne mark, its PLENTY!
 
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yes its a hatch, and a dam good one for speed, not the 8v they were pants, the 16v redtop however is VERY fast in a straight line, but you have to be very comfortable with the car to really drive it hard as they love throwing the back out on you if you bottle it!

Unfortunately they got destroyed through corners by the likes of mk2 Golf GTI 16v. which for me, is THE hot hatch. so much so im buying a rather special one on Sunday :)

185bhp may not be a massive number, but at around the tonne mark, its PLENTY!
My dad had a j reg Astra GSi with the 2.0 16v red top engine in it and it was a wicked piece of kit, it was a very new car at the time, as in it was the new shape astra

http://www.modifiedcars.com/pix/cars_high/22706_32705.jpg
Was the same colour as that as well, had a standard body like that but the standard wheels were ugly and were replace with some same size simple 5 spokes suited the car better,
We had it from new from 12 years and sold it to a kid where my dad used to work in Wednesbury I can still remember the reg plate J408NFD

If I won the lottery I would find the car again and restore it to it's former glory, it wasn't in the best of condition when we sold it so I dread to think what it's like now, last time I checked it had 6 previous owners,
Still a fantastic car...
 

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