1987 Daihatsu Charade Gti

Look beyond the slightly bland styling and daft badging, and you’ll see what a remarkable little machine the Charade Gti is. Powered by a 993cc turbocharged triple, it was a screamer that would keep the mighty Golf GTi 16V in its sights without too much difficulty. Lauded as the world’s first 1-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. Now picking up in profile and values thanks to the active Japanese retro scene.

info from Octane