Back to the 80s - in praise of the Hot Hatches - News

When you think of the 1980s, you think of a decade that was big on everything: skyscraping mullet hairdos, towering shoulder pads. And oh yes, Viennetta (but the less said about our childhood culinary preferences, the better).

But one exception to the ‘more is more’ rule of the decade that gave us MTV, leg warmers and mobile phones the size of concrete cladding was the variety of hatchback cars - or Hot Hatches, as they are colloquially known - many of which still have a loyal and dedicated following to this day.

Now admittedly, there’s not the fine tuned engineering, sleek plushness and awesome power of say, our supercars we have on offer for driving experiences at TrackDays. But actually, this is what works to the advantage of these iconic small but powerful titans of the road from an era of excess.

Hatches such as the 1982 Peugeot 205 GTi and 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTi have a certain charm and enjoyment that simply can’t be replicated in any modern day equivalent. Just as that crackle when the stylus hits the groove on the vinyl of a-Ha’s ‘Take on Me’ or Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon’ evokes fond memories, the rev of the clutch on these bad boys is an altogether immersive driving experience, steeped in nostalgia for the glory days of hot hatchback runners.

Even the likes of the Ford Escort RS Turbo, first produced in 1985, and frequently cited by critics and enthusiasts alike as one of the fastest Ford models of all time despite its size, is as raw and uninhibited (some might say unhinged) ride as you can get for a rally centric car from this decade.

Furthermore, driving an 80s Hot Hatch is as pure a driving experience out on the circuit track as you could hope to get. Free of the pressures that come with taking the wheel of high end, higher priced models, all you’ll need to worry about is which Hatchback from a golden (OK, make that gold lamé) era of motoring you want to go for a spin in.

And the good news is that we have three fantastic 80s Hot Hatch Blast experiences - with your selection of one, two or even three classic hatchbacks to choose from - to drive for 3 miles each, all from as little as £29 at seven great venues nationwide, including Three Sisters Circuit in Wigan, Castle Combe in Wiltshire and Blyton Park in Lincolnshire.

To book your 80s Hot Hatch driving experience with TrackDays through available dates and gift vouchers, head on over to our dedicated Classic Cars page today!