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Turns out race-bred engineering isn’t reserved for supercars
Formula 1 is one of the most advanced forms of motorsport on the planet. And it’s no secret that the technology developed for victory on the track has found its way into many of history’s fastest cars, from the fearsome Ferrari F40 to the mighty McLaren F1.
But supercars aren’t the only motors to have received the racing treatment. See, over the decades, Formula 1 pedigree has trickled down into a clutch of compact classics – or, at least, the stickers have.
It’s an obvious recipe, really: take an entry-level car, add a smattering of F1 badges and maybe tweak the engine, then stand back and watch sales boom courtesy of the Grand Prix connection.
The best bit? Unlike such rarities as the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss Edition or the bonkers Renault Espace F1, these Grand Prix hatchbacks were genuinely affordable when new – and many remain bargains today.
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Brabham Viva HB90
In the mid 1960s, few racing names had more appeal than that of three-time F1 World Champion Jack Brabham, so to have it emblazoned across the little Vauxhall Viva – or Holden Torana in Jack’s Aussie homeland – was quite the marketing coup.
In 1967, a £37 Brabham kit became became available via Vauxhall dealers and it was more than just a tacky add-on, including an aluminium inlet manifold and an extra carburettor to boost the 1.2-litre motor.
Naturally, you could then add all manner of Brabham goodies, from wood-rim wheel to those all-important nose stripes (in white or black).
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Fiat Seicento Schumacher
Fiat owns Ferrari, so it’s only fair that the Italian marque should borrow a bit of kudos from its fabled compatriot every now and gain. Quite why megastar and all-time great Michael Schumacher agreed to put his name to a tarted-up 2001 version of the flimsy Seicento, though, remains a mystery.
Wearing logos aplenty and equipped with a new front bumper, there was no escaping the distinctly unsporty ‘Sporting’ on which it was based, complete with paltry 54bhp engine and top speed of less than 95mph.
Even more remarkably, Schuey gave his name to another Fiat, the Stilo, a few years later.
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Mini Cooper
Arguably the ultimate crossover between compact classic and Formula 1 magic, the Mini Cooper saw the bonny Alec Issigonis two-door fitted with a motor from John Cooper’s company – the very same that designed and built racing-winning machines for the likes of John Surtees, Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham.
Unveiled in 1961, Cooper equipped the diminutive Mini with a 997cc motor good for 55bhp to create the original pocket rocket, a fantastic road car that would go on to become a race and rally legend in its own right – and an even more powerful variant followed just two years later.
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Renault 5 Gordini Turbo
Renault’s relationship with GP constructor Amédée Gordini first bore fruit in 1958 with the Dauphine Gordini, a tweaked version of Renault’s staid small saloon.
It was followed by the R8 Gordini in ’65, the R12 in 1970 and the R5 in 1981. The latter wasn’t the work of ‘Le Sorcier’, but he’d surely have approved of its 93bhp motor. Likewise the ultimate iteration that arrived two years later, with Garrett turbocharger squeezing out a tyre-scorching 110bhp and 116mph top speed.
And that was that, until Renault revived the name with sporting variants of the Twingo and Clio in 2010, followed by the Wind in 2011.
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Mercedes A-Class Häkkinen
Few cars have a weaker link with the fast-paced world of motorsport than the Mercedes W168 – a dumpy mini-MPV that couldn’t pass handling tests at launch without almost rolling over.
Yet in 1998, the Stuttgart marque decided to celebrate the McLaren-Mercedes team’s F1 title win not with a brand-new sports car, but with 250 souped-up special editions of the A-Class – half done up for winning driver Mika Häkkinen, half for his team-mate David Coulthard.
Each car wore the driver’s name and number, plus an airbrushed McLaren livery, a red leather interior and AMG alloys.
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Honda Civic Jordan
Proof that even less-glamorous racing teams can add pizzazz to your hatchback, this 1999 run of 500 Sunlight Yellow Civics was built to mark team boss Eddie Jordan’s use of Mugen-Honda motors in the cars of Damon Hill and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
Styled to match the upstart team’s bold competition livery, the special-edition Civic shipped with a bodykit from the Japanese Type-R – albeit with tamer boot spoiler – and a lairy black-and-yellow leather interior, embroidered with the famous Buzzin’ Hornets logo.
Beneath all that sat 1.6 VTi-S running gear, good for a suitably sporty 160bhp and a 140mph maximum.
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Renault Clio Williams 16V
This muscular little number had little more to do with Frank Williams’ famous outfit than sharing its name, but RenaultSport’s 2-litre Clio was a truly seminal hot hatch.
Launched in 1993 as a rally homologation special, sales weren’t hurt by British fan-favourite Nigel Mansell winning the Drivers’ Championship with Williams the previous year. Such was the public clamour that a second edition was released in 1994, followed by a third the following year – with more than 12,000 sold worldwide.
The original was the best, though: a 990kg pocket rocket with 150bhp at its disposal, fat tyres and firm suspension behind those muscular arches gave the Clio mind-boggling grip – all topped off with one of the greatest liveries of all time and a cabin treated to blue dials and ‘W’ logos.
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Proton Satria GTI Lotus
Lotus has plenty of form when it comes to road and race-track crossovers, from the Cortina in the ’60s to the Talbot-Sunbeam in the ’80s – but the Proton Satria GTI was something different altogether.
Launched in the late ’90s, Lotus was out of F1 by the time the crossover came to market, but it was the fabled firm’s Grand Prix record that Proton was keen to capitalise on with its hatch.
Based on the Mitsubishi Colt, the chassis and 141bhp 1.8-litre engine were tuned by Norfolk’s finest, while the body received a distinctive riveted aero kit complete with dinky square exhausts.
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Rover 200 BRM LE
It’s easy to poke fun at the orange air intake on this limited-edition Rover – a nod to BRM’s F1 racers – and the diamond-stitched leather inside. And plenty did.
But this ’90s hot hatch was more than a standard 200vi with silly clothes. It sat 20mm lower, had revised damping and used a close-ratio gearbox and limited-slip differential to send a healthy 143bhp through the front wheels.
What’s more, the link between Rover and British Racing Motors was bona fide: they teamed up for Le Mans entries in 1963 and ’65, while BRM continued fighting Grands Prix into the ’70s – though the teens who might have liked to buy one in the ’90s probably had no idea what BRM was.
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RenaultSport Megane 230 F1 Team R26
What better way to celebrate clinching both Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships in Formula 1 than by launching a tarted-up variant of your existing hot hatch?
Which is exactly what Renault did in 2005 with the Megane 225 F1 Team – complete with glaring blue paint job, a smattering of team stickers and the potent two-litre turbo unit from the 225 Cup.
When the team did it again in 2006? It went one better, launching the not-so-mellow yellow 230 with even more stickers, even better performance – 227bhp, 147mph and 0-60 in 6.2secs – and even more awkward driver promo photos. Isn’t that right, Fernando?