17. Fiat Ritmo Abarth
The original Italian hot hatch was arguably the Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130. It was the ultimate version of the standard Ritmo compact model they introduced in 1983. In fact, the Ritmo Abarth 130 was one of the fastest, most powerful cars in its class on the European market.
Under the hood was a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two carburetors, eight valves, and 130 HP, more than enough for the 2,000-pound curb weight. Also, the power went to the front wheels over a five-speed manual transmission. And to top all that off, the Abarth racing department set the suspension for aggressive driving.