Daihatsu Charade GTti (1987 – 1993) Review
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Daihatsu Charade GTti (1987 – 1993) At A Glance
Terrier-like grip and astonishing performance from what was the world's most powerful production 1.0-litre car
Rust and parts availability
The third generation Daihatsu Charade - the G100-series - was an interesting car, due to its unusual three-cylinder engine, but in a market littered with talented rivals such as the Fiat Uno and Peugeot 205, it failed to make much headway on the UK market. However, the range-topping GTti was something else entirely.
Look beyond the slightly bland styling, and you’ll discover that the Charade GTti is quite a remarkable little car. It it's powered by a 993cc turbocharged triple, and was genuinely capable of keeping the Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V in its sights in the traffic light dash. Lauded as the world’s first 1.0-litre road car to breach the 100bhp/litre barrier, it wasn’t the tiny tearaway you might expect, putting in a ramarkably refined performance with a surprisingly capable chassis set-up.
