The Strada Abarth 130 TC was a raw twin-cam Italian rival to the Golf and 205, complete with carburettor character and serious period pace.

What made the Strada Abarth (or Ritmo Abarth in Europe) interesting was that it did not feel like a sanitised, polished hot hatch in the Golf GTI mould. The 125 TC and later 130 TC used a 2.0-litre twin-cam engine, with the 130 TC producing around 130 hp and still relying on carburettors at a time when many rivals were moving towards injection.

It was front-wheel drive, aggressive, mechanically old-school and slightly mad, with a close-ratio five-speed gearbox and the sort of character that made it feel more homologation special than shopping car. The 130 TC was quick for its day, capable of 0–60 mph in under eight seconds, and earned a reputation as one of the rawer European hot hatches of the period.

It won’t feature in many people’s top 10, but it’s a major omission from any 1980s hot hatch catalogue.