Perfect Pocket Rocket | Six of the best
Suzuki Swift Sport, 2019, 66k, £9,990
When an AMG GT weighs 2.1 tons and a 911 GTS can easily reach £150,000 with a few options, some light comfort (of every kind) is in order. That is exactly what is here. There's no car here that weighs more than a ton, they're all under £10,000, they're all manual, and none of them even have 700 horsepower. PERFECT - There's no fun quite like a great hot hatch for little ones. The ZC33S Swift Sport is a perfect example of this breed, with 140bhp and just 975kg. When it was new, it took some fire because it was more expensive than the normal version that came before; But soon after Suzuki made the hybrid sports car, then abandoned it entirely, so the combination of 50mpg and 130mph now looks more attractive than ever. And this in particular; Although it's a UK market car, it's been treated to all sorts of goodies from Japan, including Tein springs, an HKS Racing suction kit, and R's Racing anti-roll bar. It promises to be a convenient option, as well as suitable for everyday use – and it's not much more than half its new price...
Mini Cooper, 2001, £123,000, £4,995
Yes, this could be a nice Cooper S given the budget. And yes, Coopers are supposed to run their best on smaller wheels. It's probably also fair to say that these early R50s won't be as beloved as the originals - or perhaps some of the others on this list. But as a celebration of everything that's great about reimagining the Mini for the 21st century, this thing looks like just the ticket. It still sports the bright red paint, the white accents are smart, and the big wheels at every corner mean the Cooper still has a sporty look. This is also interesting, in fact, as one of the first R50s built, which was completed in July 2001 and registered on September 7 of that year. So, yeah, these are about 25 years old. A proper classic Mini, at £5,000, is the cheapest car here. First time for everything with a Mini...
Citroen Saxo VTS, 2000, 46k, £9,990
The French are masters of making fast cars, small, lightweight and tossable. For decades, few were quite as exciting as a little Gallic hatch powered by 16 stout valves and held together by what looked like a Meccano. Some of the best properties are now hot on the classic market – see Clio Williams and Trophy for proof. But certainly cheap and equally funny versions of the French formula still exist. £10,000 may not be far from the new price of a VTS, although the 16-valve Saxus' numbers collapsed faster than cups when its over-the-top nature caught on with impulsive drivers. If you can find a VTS before the facelift, keep it safe; Even this, a later Saxo devoid of modifications, looks worth cherishing with less than 50,000 miles. A glorious reminder of how simple hot hatches can be. Be on your toes...
Ford Fiesta Zetec S, 2001, 86,000, £8,250
There are the forgotten fast Fords, and then there is the Fiesta Zetec S. This was a sports car before there were STs and the like, but it wasn't that fast: supposedly fearful of cannibalizing Puma sales, the Fiesta was fitted with a 102bhp 1.6 rather than the 125bhp 1.7 developed by Yamaha. The chassis was, of course, a delight, because this was a turn-of-the-millennium Ford: nimble, agile, communicative, and controlled. But the Zetec S always seemed like a kind of "what-if" Ford fast car, and many were donors to spicier engine swaps or race cars. Before I even think about the dreaded rust. So this Imperial Blue example is a real treat, retaining the standard engine and with a fortune spent on making the rest of the Fiesta the best it can be: Racing Puma seats, coilovers, better brakes, extra struts and so on. It's bottom sealed, comes with plenty of replacement parts, and has clearly been loved. Festivals certainly don't come any more wonderful.
Volkswagen Lupo GTI Auctions, 2001, 77K, BH
Sometimes the good old days aren't as good as you remember them - but sometimes they are. Look to these four previous entrants for proof: all registered in 2000 or 2001, and all offering lively performance and decent driving fun without going too crazy. The Mini had the style, the Saxo had the speed, and the Fiesta had the chassis. Then there was the Lupo, the group's small GTI. The design was cool and crisp, the interior was another dimension, and the driving experience was perhaps not quite as refined as some others. This would be by the standards of the wild kids of the early 2000s; Don't be surprised if, after a quarter of a century, this is back to basics in the best way possible. And it's still eminently usable in a way that the Saxo VTS probably no longer is. This PH Auctions car has a low mileage, moves through a Scorpion boot (long live the center exit exhaust!) and comes with almost a year of MOT with no advice to its name. Bidding starts next week.
Fiat Panda 100 hp, 2007, £49,000, £4,999
Boy, they really don't make them like they used to. The Panda 100HP used the time-honored recipe that made for so many great pocket rockets: it was lower, stiffer, faster than standard, nicer to look at and not too expensive - a work bed. For £9,995 in the mid-2000s, the Panda looked like the bargain of the century, retaining all the usability of a standard car while adding some fire in its belly (quite literally) thanks to the installation of Fiat's 1.4-litre 16-valve Integrated Automatic engine. With a six-speed manual transmission as standard fit, the 100-horsepower engine can accelerate to 60 mph in about nine seconds, and can happily dart around any corner thanks to its wider tires, larger brakes, and firmer suspension. This may need a bit of a restart, as it has been without an MOT for a few years, but it is also a one owner, 50,000 mile example. And you probably don't need us to tell you that a few of these still exist.