One of the things I love most about reading magazines dedicated to older cars, is the information I can glean about vehicles I’m either too young to remember when new, or which have, for one reason or another, simply passed me by.
An example of the latter cropped up just now. Flicking through the March 2023 issue of Future Classics, a bright yellow Audi hot hatch grabbed my attention. It features in a round-up of what the magazine declares to be the best-handling used performance cars for less than £15,000.
Badged the S1, the Audi looks instantly familiar as a more sporting variant of the A1 posh supermini. You’ll be familiar with the A1; it was the German brand’s more modern take on retro-influenced tiddlers such as the MINI and Fiat 500. This, though, is no ordinary A1…
S1 is a legendary badge when it comes to Audi heritage, for the original Quattro (capital ‘Q’) Short Wheelbase rally car was known as such. And that icon and its newer namesake have more in common than you might initially think - both use turbocharged inline engines of around 2,000cc, and both deploy their power to the road via four-wheel drive systems. Oh, and both are relatively compact.
That aforementioned four-wheel drive is what truly set the S1 apart from its contemporary mid-2010s rivals such as the Ford Fiesta ST and Mk7 VW Golf GTI. It came with compromises, mind you. The simple torsion bar rear axle from the A1 was replaced with a fully independent multi-link set-up which, combined with the necessary differential gubbins, robbed the boot of some capacity and made for a small car with a rather big price. Yup, at launch in 2014, the S1 set buyers back a cool £27,000.
That was then, though, and the beauty of buying secondhand is that you can nab a great car at a knockdown price, having let the previous owner take care of depreciation. And with the S1, you are getting a lot of high-performance hatchback for your money.
How do 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 155mph grab you? Impressive, eh? Add in the security of the four-wheel drive system, not to mention the S1’s compact supermini dimensions, and you can take apart a B-road at a tremendous lick. At the same time, you can enjoy a well made, ergonomically sound cabin with all the luxuries of a modern Audi.
The Audi S1, then, is the hot hatch I never knew I wanted until today. The concept of a small car with big power and heroically advanced mechanical hardware, clothed in a discreet yet handsome outfit, sounds like just the recipe for a future classic.
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