Introduction

History

The Daihatsu Charade GTti entered production between 1987 and 1993, it was the third generation of the Daihatsu Charade, adopting the G100 chassis and only available as a 3 door hatchback. Daihatsu equipped the GTti with a 3 cylinder, 993cc, twin cam, 12 valve and turbocharged engine that produced over 99.23 BHP. The engine was named the CB80, or also referenced as a CB70 for cars destined for countries that required tighter emission controls. The engine (With slight variation) appeared to be initially used for the Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso 926R (G11), but due to changing regulations in Group B Rally it never reached the production phase. The Daihatsu Charade GTxx was also a unique and rare variant of the GTti sold in Japan only. The difference between these models were; rear spoiler, side skirts, 14" Speedline alloy wheels, Power Assisted Steering (PAS), Air Conditioning (AC), Electronic Climate Control (ECC). The engine itself remained the same.

Performance

Daihatsu produced an engine that was mechanically advanced for its time, an era where small turbocharged performance hatchbacks were soon to become abundant in Japan and Europe. According to various sources the GTti was the first production car to reach over 100 BHP per litre, and still maintains the title of being the fastest 1 litre production car in the world. Although this is just the beginning, various enthusiasts have achieved over 200 BHP per litre and it's not uncommon to see examples between 150 and 250 BHP. When coupling the potential for engine performance with a lightweight chassis, then a very impressive power to weight ratio can be achieved.