Perhaps not, as you can buy a new 2.0 ltr Zetec engine wrapped in new metal, electronics and modern comfort for a similar price.
It still wouldn't be as fun to drive though!
Exactly. That's the appeal. The only thing that stopped these cars being a total hoot to drive back in the day is that they didn't have enough power to induce gratuitous oversteer on demand.* Oh, and that often they didn't go at all. Problems that are easily solved today.
*- actually, my mate's 1.3 Chevette did. I hate to think how lethal the HS was.
But it was very easy and relatively cheap to have a lot of power, well set up suspension and an LSD, which made them seriously quick, with superb, forgiving handling. Steering on the throttle everywhere you went. Much more fun than todays cars which are a lot quicker on paper.
The HS handled superbly on dry roads. Wasnt much that could keep up with it. On damp or wet roads though it was a nightmare. Short wheelbase meant that when you lost the back end, it had rotated a couple of times before you realised what was happening.
I spun it on a slowish S bend one evening, and came to a stop in the middle of the local garage forecourt.
The garage owner - a former F3 driver for Lotus, gave me a sarcastic round of applause. My face was as red as a strawbery.