Do you remember the first Volkswagen GTI? It was the original sports car in a box when it snarled onto the scene as a 1983 model, back in the days when there was still a VW hatchback named after a creature with long ears and buck teeth.

The GTI was fast on its feet, reasonably quick from a standing start and roomy inside; it had sports-car responses combined with a hatchback's space efficiency. And if the GTI wasn't quite revolutionary (there was the precedent of the Austin Mini Cooper S) it was certainly sensational.

The original GTI added new descriptions to the automotive lexicon, such as pocket rocket and hot hatch. And it spawned a small fleet of wannabes - the Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo, Dodge Omni GLH, Toyota Corolla FX16 and Mazda 323 Turbo, to name just a few.