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An old school proper hot hatch - and £10,000+ change. ;)

Best Hot Hatch Ever (...apart from the Williams) Used to have one and they are amazing hot hatches. Cant be bothered to reproduce the history in full, but the 16V was basically the first to move the game on from the 205 GTi and fathered the Willy. It has proper Group A rally pedigree and...

The fact is that the V6 Phase1 is still a 4 1/2 star car. Look at how well cars like the Audi TT and Golf GTi still sell, even though theyre cack!

Not meaning to rock the boat, but the original 15s (Phase1 or 2) make the car quicker and handle better. By all means, lower the car if you want more grip: you may find that the car tramlines on big wheels and is much more "snappy" at the limit. Id recommend you stick with the 15s for back...

Lovely Brun - keep the old school style as well (love them 16V Phase1 wheels).

The Cup was initially limited to 2500 examples (LHD and RHD) for FIA Group N homologation purposes. Theyve made more, but were careful not to call it a "limited edition" at any stage - thats what happened with the Williams 2 and 3 and they got sued by original Williams owners! To be fair...

I considered buying a Cup when I changed cars a few months ago. At the time, you could buy a used Cup for £10k and a similar age 172 for about the same price. What appealed to me was the fact that the Cup was a slightly more focussed machine, limited for homologation purposes, stripped of...

Remember that the Willy used 16V brakes. I wouldnt feel I had to get better brakes!

Ive never owned either, but Id have thought that if you wanted a Cup then youd be adamant about it. Thats because theyre harder to find, they have less luxuries and cost the same as a 172 (used). So, if you want a Cup then youll know!

Just because a Viper sucks in more air doesnt mean its cold! An airbox usually has a thermometer that instructs a valve to compensate for hot/cold air and therefoe keeps the air sucked into the inlet manifold at a constant temperature.

Got confused there! Saw 0-100 and didnt think that it was 0-100kmh rather than mph!

Hes right. The most efficient induction system available is... your airbox! Not 100% certain about the 172/Cup engine bay, but the 16V/Williams induction kits can only suck in lots of hot air from their position. Ever noticed that competition cars use the airbox? Still, induction kits...

Yeah, there was a test by Top Gear which got 0-60 in 8.6 for the Valver (the tester must have been a muppet or the car was shagged) and loads of poxy sites rely on this. Renaults 0-60 is 7.7 and 0-62 is 8.0 (have to change to 3rd to make 62). Autocars 1991 test on a 16V with 10,000 miles...

Whiplash can be a very serious injury that has effects on the spine that crop up many years later. Nevertheless, the procedures designed to compensate legitimate cases are widely abused. Its difficult to see how this can be stopped though: there is no easy diagnosis of whiplash independent of...

The Valver one was designed to compensate for the lack of low-down torque; the Willy one for the exact opposite.

Are you running a Willy-suitable chip?

First of all, youre looking at the right car if you want entertainment and involvement. I havent driven a GTI-R, but Id imagine that what you lose in pure speed youll gain in driver involvement. Id print this off if I were you! Read the 1994 Cars & Car Conversions article on the Williams...

Did I foget to mention that I think you should get a Cup. Loads more driver satisfaction. Also, despite what people may lead you to believe, theres not really that much difference in accelerative and speed terms between the sort of cars youre talking about. Certainly, the 306 GTi-6 is not...

The Cupra R was a limited edition version and was considered to be overpriced at the time, with identical stats to the Mk2 172 it was tested against. The standard 156bhp Cupra is not exactly cack, but with a Polo chassis it isnt exactly at the top of the class either.

I was going to get a standard one, but now Im not so sure!

Remember that insurance groups mainly refelect the situation when a car is new and take into account things like parts prices/likely depreciation as a very large component. The RSi is an informed choice, but hardly worth it over a 16V. Remember that the 16V was also the homologation car for...

Sorry to hear that. Ill be driving mine with extra caution!

In the defence of the 185 width tyres, Id say that although they roll a bit more, they will grip a little better on rough roads and will have a less crashy ride.

If youve got the time/weather for it, leave at least a day between applying the different waxes for them to cure and bond properly. You saw how mint my black Valver was - I spent weeks doing it properly (back in the good old days of being a student)! Just waiting for some better weather to do...

Sadly Clare, youre going to get stone chips in the winter and theyre almost impossible to stop altogether. A good wax helps and the synthetic variety (like Autoglym Extra Gloss) are best for this: apply before the natural waxes mentioned above. Other than that, the best thing to do is drive as...

The only mod my Williams came with was a tacky mid 1990s Prima Racing gold coloured back box. Compared to my old Valvers full system, it sounds nowhere near as good so isnt worth keeping and Im going to stick an original back box on as soon as I have some time.

Do what you want, but keep all the standard parts for re-sale purposes. Not many people like modified Williams.

55,557 miles on a 1993 Williams

The low oil pressure sensor is on the front of the engine and is covered by Haynes. But you want the oil pressure sensor itself, which is on the back of the engine next to the exhaust manifold - and its not covered by Haynes.

:D