CT Poll: Retro Ford Fiesta XR2 Or Modern Fiesta ST - Which Will You Vote For?
Volkswagen can keep telling us that it invented the GTI and that it was the true instigator of the hot hatchback movement, but plenty of other companies can lay claim to their own slice of hot hatch history.
Renault is right up there of course - there's no ignoring 5 Turbos, Clio Williams and several generations of Renaultsport brilliance. Likewise, Peugeot has had a good crack at it with a throng of GTIs and Rallye models.
And then, of course there's Ford. You can't deny the significance of gems like the Escort Cosworth, late RS2000 Escorts, XR3s and even the Racing Puma (no seriously, it's a hatchback).
But one of the most celebrated models is the humble Fiesta XR2. It wasn't even the first hot Fiesta, predated by the 1.3-litre Supersport in 1980. But the XR2 used a larger 1.6-litre engine with just 84 horses at its disposal. With a body emptier than a Made In Chelsea star's cranial cavity it still delivered sub-10 second 0-60 potential and a three-digit top speed.
Really though, the XR2 came into its own with the second-gen in the mid-80s.
A 1.6-litre engine still took centre stage and now produced 96 horsepower. A few tenths fell from the 0-60 sprint while top speed dropped a little, but the plastic body addenda, subtle striping and "pepper pot" alloys are all iconic additions that make the Mk2 XR2 a hot hatch legend these days.
Whether metallic paintwork, a catfish grille and a set of Recaros make the modern-day Fiesta ST an icon in another few decades remains to be seen. But based solely on the way it drives, there's little doubt that it's already an all-time great.
The numbers say 179 horsepower but it's only boring bureaucracy limiting it to that - the motor puts out an easy 200 ponies just like its Peugeot and Renault rivals. It's enough to drag the Fiesta to 60 in under seven seconds and on to nearly 140 mph - figures not dreamed of by the original.
Also undreampt of by the original is a potential 48 mpg, but you won't get that when you're driving it - the ST is just too much fun. Everything from the darty steering to the way it rides tricky mid-corner bumps is sublime.
Best of all, it's a couple of grand less than its modern day opponents, at £16,995.
But then, you can get a mint condition XR2 for around £6000.
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