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- With these 10 power small cars, horsepower is cheapest
- The Kocks family has a soft spot for hot rods
With these 10 power small cars, horsepower is cheapest
1775 hp for less than 250,000 euros. We present ten small cars that are incredibly fun with the right engine and only cost a fraction of a sports car. The cheapest is a Ford.
Small, strong, fast! Every single one of these ten small cars is super sporty. If you add up the hp numbers of the models, you get an unbelievable 1775 hp
Source: Illustration: Tricia Le Hanne
A.Even to go shopping at walking pace without jerking. ”With this sentence, the VW advertising department felt compelled at the end of the seventies to take away the more sensible customer’s fear of the politically incorrectly motorized first Golf GTI as a family car.
The supposed monster had 110 hp and was undisputedly the forefather of what the British call "hot hatch". He was the emancipatory tool to break the previously cemented dominance of the big wagons in the left lane. The idea of the lavishly motorized Golf and its classmates has held up and has now also infected the smaller brothers.
However, the power dwarf in itself is not a superlative car, not a universal joker in a quartet of cars. And that’s not the only contradiction he’s struggling with. If the moderately motorized basic models are more likely to be seen as objects of feminine-rational rational purchase, the principle of over-motorization follows an old masculine prey scheme.
The Kocks family has a soft spot for hot rods
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Torsten Kock drives over the sandy slope of the Bergring in Teterow, Mecklenburg. His Ford Track Roadster …
Source: Stefan Anker
2 of 18
… Basically comes from 1924, but the car always gets …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… adapted to the requirements of the race. A 3.9 liter V8 from 1949 is currently in use; the side panels next to the engine are missing, in keeping with the style, because …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… a hot rod has to look slimmed down and simple, also inside.
Source: Stefan Anker
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It goes without saying that such a car is not approved for road use, Torsten Kock transports his hot rod on a trailer. But the cars …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… his wife Kerstin (left) and his daughter Carolin are allowed to be driven in traffic.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Kerstin Kock drives a 37 Ford Coupe, and the family dog Emma is not bothered by the noise the engine makes.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Of course there is also a V8 under the hood here, and so that everyone knows, there is a stylized V8 symbol in the radiator grille, on which the brand name Ford and the engine are also shown…power of 85 HP are noted. the …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… V8 reference can also be seen on the handle of the trunk lid, but the favorite detail …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… of the family is the original insurance sticker that Torsten Kock found while tidying up the car under the seat.
Source: Stefan Anker
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The cockpit of the coupe is a bit more dignified than that of the red hot rod, only the timepiece is missing – but it would cost 450 euros to procure it.
Source: Stefan Anker
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For this, Kerstin Kock drives with a hula-hoop doll, bobble dog and helmet on the hat shelf.
Source: Stefan Anker
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The mountain ring in the Kock family’s hometown of Teterow is the scene of a large hot rod festival every summer, where the cars do not compete, but rather in regularity races …try to complete two laps in exactly the same time as possible.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Carolin Kock has a Ford Roadster from 1929 that she enjoys driving. the …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… The 23-year-old is fascinated by the acceleration of the old cars. And hers too …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… Roadster is the Flathead V8 openly.
Source: Stefan Anker
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Torsten Kock is a car painter in real life and has taught himself the body and engine work that is necessary for old cars. Again and again …
Source: Stefan Anker
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… The cars come and go, and the occupation with them makes the 50-year-old very satisfied.
Source: Stefan Anker
But one can make out a superlative about the power dwarfs: the arithmetical value of euros per horsepower. Here ten cars for those who enjoy the hustle and bustle of city and dynamic country road driving, which have the potential to make some premium pilots sweat on their foreheads. Each of the ten small cars is a stunner in itself, but if you add the number of horsepower for all of them, you get an unbelievable 1775 horsepower. And having to pay less than 250,000 euros (we have added the base prices of the high-horsepower variants, although the current prices may vary slightly due to adjustments), we don’t think that’s so bad.
the Caterham Seven 160 is the big exception in the series, but should not be missing for reference. If all other test subjects follow the technical concept of the Urmini with transverse front-wheel drive and space for four people, the Caterham is rooted in the kitcars category that was once tax-privileged in Great Britain.
It does everything differently: no suitability for everyday use, space for only two people and the value of € 276 / PS seem to give it no chance, but rear-wheel drive, extremely low center of gravity and the fact that each of the 80 PS only has to move a good six kilograms speak for themselves Truth about this fun mobile. In addition, one reaps a smile with his appearance without exception.
276 euros per PS: Driving fun without suitability for everyday use: The Caterham Seven 160 has only 80 PS and is still a fun racing machine. New price: around 22,000 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Abarth 500 from Fiat is the car of contrasts on this list. Even the basic Fiat 500 is the application of a rear engine design to a technical layout with a front engine. In addition, the metamorphosis from rolling shopping bags to serious athletes has to be mastered with this model. With 160 hp you go to work in Italy, and if there was an award for the best design of a retro car, the 500 would definitely be a contender.
The bracket set over these antagonisms is the racing history of the original model, which is hidden behind the name Abarth. It seems to be working out. Anyone who can come to terms with all these marketing structures and have a happy eye when choosing the colors actually gets a pretty, small and as such seriously racing roll for 23,250 euros.
145 euros per PS: The Abarth 500, the sporty version of the Fiat 500, has a 1.4 T-Jet engine and develops 160 PS. New price: 23,250 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
The traditional brand Alfa Romeo currently only manufactures three different models. Actually only two, because the highly praised 4C sports car is also more of a niche product in terms of volume. But what Alfa builds is always typically Alfa. Although the power of 170 hp the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is located in the lower part of the table, it undoubtedly belongs in this list.
In no other model do the image of a small car and sporting ambition go together better, because it is the fundamental self-image of the brand, indeed its core. With the top MiTo for 23,700 euros you are up front and well dressed – just Italian.
139 euros per PS: The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde has a 1.4-liter multi-air turbo petrol engine with 170 PS under the hood: With a power-to-weight ratio of 6.7 kg / PS, it accelerates from…n zero to 100 km / h in 7.3 seconds. New price: 23,700 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Audi A1 must leave all sporting insignia to the S1, which is by definition riotous. It is a fast small car (1.8 TFSI, 192 PS, 25,900 euros; thus just above our 25,000 euros limit) in the usual Audi design quality for the reticent Hanseatic user who is reluctant to lose touch.
135 euros per PS: Audi’s smallest is based on the VW Polo. The most powerful petrol engine, a 1.8 TFSI, develops 192 hp. It accelerates from zero to 100 km / h in 6.8 seconds,… the maximum speed is 235 km / h. New price: 25,900 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Mini Cooper S refers to its successful historical predecessor and clearly shows sporty ambitions with 192 hp. While these did not collide with any other brand strategy in the Urmini, in the 23,800 euro re-edition with the decidedly funny and peppy lifestyle image (especially in the interior), they behave like oil on water for the claim of a real athlete. Bad clown or funny racing driver – in positive terms, you have two cars in one.
124 euros per PS: The Mini Cooper S is a legend. With its 192 hp, it shoots to 100 km / h in sport mode in just under seven seconds. The end is 235 km / h. New price: 23,800 …Euro
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
He sits down in the car quartet of the little quick ones Opel Corsa OPC in first place in terms of performance (207 hp), but cannot defend this position in all respects due to its slightly higher weight. However, the seriousness of the developers in letting him play at the forefront can be clearly seen.
In the rearview mirror you can see the accelerated Corsa (24,395 euros) by the air slot above the smiling grille. Inside, the wonderful sports seats are noticeable. The chrome trim, which was still lavishly used in the previous model, has largely been removed to its advantage. The ESP can be switched off here – as is usually the case with only a few models in this list.
117 euros per PS: Small fun car from Russelsheim: The Opel Corsa OPC has a 1.6 liter turbo engine that develops 207 PS. You need to accelerate from zero to 100 km / h…It takes 6.8 seconds, and a maximum of 230 km / h. New price: 24,395 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Peugeot 208 GTI is undoubtedly the surprise in this comparison. Top positions in power-to-weight ratio and horsepower price (200 hp for 23,300 euros) suggest its potential as a guarantee for happy hours on the road. The cockpit layout with a small steering wheel and instruments above it goes particularly well with the sporty design. At Peugeot, it is also known that chrome does not belong in a sports car because of the annoying reflections from the sun.
116 euros per PS: The Peugeot 205 GTi from 1984 developed into a cult car, and the 208 GTi aims to build on this success. It has 200 hp and is a top speed of 230 km / h. New pr…ice cream: 23,300 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
The crown of the Volkswagen derivatives always belongs to the VW model. So he can VW Polo GTI Have 192 hp and not just 180 like the relatives from the Czech Republic and Spain. Otherwise the effort was made to create an everyday vehicle rather than a racing roll. Most of the trim available in the Polo brochure is on display in the interior of the GTI, which costs 22,275 euros. Because of the many chrome applications, the car looks more like a luxury than a sports car.
115 euros per PS: The heart of the VW Polo GTI is its engine, the 1.8-liter turbo gasoline engine with 192 PS. The Polo should create a maximum of 236 km / h and the sprint to 100 km / h in 6.7 seconds…customers. New price: 22,275 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Renault Clio R.S.. follows a long line of athletic ancestors. While VW’s racing dwarfs tend towards restraint, the design of the 200 hp Clio obviously also wants to lure drivers with the backwards-turned baseball cap into the colorful cockpit. The Clio has a lot on board as standard in the accessories catalogs with very summerly dressed women on hoods. In doing so, however, it always manages to remain a very handsome car. For 22,990 euros.
115 euros per PS: Only 6.5 seconds pass up to 100 km / h and only at 225 km / h does the frenzy in the 200 PS strong Renault Clio R.S. an end. New price: 22,990 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
the Ford Fiesta ST is a car for everyone who is really serious. The numerical values alone put him at the top of the list. Each of its 182 hp costs just 112 euros (together 20,390 euros) and then only has to move six kilos. It is also known that Ford rarely allows weaknesses in terms of chassis in its compacts.
Outwardly, even the somewhat boastful Aston Martin-style grill looks appropriate – the electronic sound generator, on the other hand, would not have needed here. In the interior, everything behind the sports steering wheel is okay, as long as you don’t let your gaze wander over the typical Ford, but in this environment very strange triptych of switches and air vents in the middle of the dashboard. So: keep your eyes on the road!
112 euros per PS: The top model of the Ford Fiesta is the sporty ST with 182 PS. It takes 6.9 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100 km / h, with a maximum of 233 km / h.… New price: 20,390 euros
Source: TRICIA LE HANNE
For the sake of completeness: All the cars in our list can be driven smoothly at walking pace, even when shopping.
The author heads the Transportation Design course at Pforzheim University – a well-known forge for car designers.
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