Renault 5 Turbo
The 1980s started with a bang in the hot hatch world when Renault introduced the crazy R5 Turbo. First, it only looked like a regular Renault 5 compact city car. Second, it was a serious performance machine. This was the first time a car company presented an outrageous hot hatch that had the performance of a supercar and the technology of one (via Top Gear).
The essence of an R5 Turbo was a mid-mounted 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivered 160 horsepower. The whole car was redesigned and reengineered to move the engine from the front hood to the space behind the driver. The rear track was much wider, and side scoops were added for better engine cooling. Of course, such extreme cars lost practicality, one of the main hot hatch characteristics. This was because it was a pure racing car built for homologation purposes. However, it deserves an important place in hot hatch history as one of the craziest hot hatches produced. Also, it was one of the deadliest compacts and one of the coolest cars of the ’80s.