VAUXHALL VXR220
The
Vauxhall VXR220 Is The Perfect Tool With Which To Go Embarrassing Supercars. Andy Enright Reports
Picture the scene. Youve pulled off the motorway to enjoy the twisty route home but looming large behind you as you approach the roundabout at the bottom of the slip road are the xenon lights of a
Porsche 911 GT3. You are at the wheel of a Vauxhall. Think you can show the race-bred Porsche a clean pair of exhaust pipes? You can if the Vauxhall youve strapped on is a VXR220.
In truth, the public highway isnt the best place to exploit the cataclysmic performance of the VXR220. Packing an apt 220bhp, this car really needs to be given its head on a sweeping race track or at an airfield day where you can drop the hammer without fear of incarceration at Her Majestys pleasure. Given that the VXR220 will hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds and keep accelerating until youve got significant daylight between you and the naughty side of 150mph, its easy to see how this car could be a potential licence-shredder.
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Priced at £29,995, the VXR220 looks competitive value up against the 189bhp
Lotus Exige it is built alongside in the Hethel factory and it would fuel endless hours of debate in this office as to which would be quicker around a track. To liberate the additional 20bhp over and above what the standard VX220 generates,
Vauxhall have fitted a free-flow air filter, a hybrid turbo and a reprogrammed electronic control unit. This in itself would probably justify the £3,000 price hike for many, but the changes dont stop there. A set of satin black five-spoke Speedline alloys are shod with Yokohama A048R tyres of rather unusual dimensions.
Up front are a relatively narrow set of 195/45R16s while at the back are 225/35/R17s. This setup introduces a welcome neutrality to the VXRs handling bias, reducing the propensity for a car with this much power and this little weight to step out at the back while cornering under power.
"The VXR220 really needs to be given its head on a sweeping race track where you can drop the hammer without fear of incarceration"
With uprated dampers and beefier lowered springs, the wheels fill the arches beautifully. Whats more, they show off the big 288mm vented and cross-drilled brake calipers very nicely. The other advantage of black wheels is that the brake dust doesnt show so easily when youre really trying hard! Only one body colour is offered, Calypso Red, and the car is finished with matt black detailing on the rear spoiler, wing mirrors, windscreen surround, Vauxhall V-grille and fuel filler cap. If you thought red and black went out with MelnKim, its time to think again.
The interior gets deeper sports seats upholstered in Alcantara and carbon-fibre effect leather trim. The matt black theme extends to the handbrake gaiter, the gearlever gate, the passenger footrest, the pedals and the window winders. VXR is more than just a label attached to this pocket rocket. Its Vauxhalls new way of looking at performance cars.
The Luton marque has for some time boasted one of the largest range of sporting versions of any mainstream car maker with SRi and GSi versions of many of its more popular ranges but with VXR, Vauxhall has upped the ante. Inspired by Vauxhalls VX Racing teams outstanding success in the British Touring Car Championship in recent years, VXR models offer superior performance and distinctive styling. Stuart Harris, brand manager for VXR, explains the VXR philosophy: "The performance philosophy of VXR is not about top speed; its about maximum acceleration and real world performance through sheer in gear grunt. " So there you have it. Vauxhall now have a Guru of In Gear Grunt which can only be a good thing. The other VXR model offered alongside the VXR220 is the VXR Monaro which offers more grunt than a constipated Monica Seles. Speed however, is one thing: handling is another and the VXR220 scores in this department. Only a specialist sportscar maker could have developed this car. Arguably, only Lotus could have done it and the cars development owes a good deal to the chassis development skills of Gavan Kershaw. The mid-engined chassis balance is quite simply astounding.
Even in the wet, you have to be outlandish to unstick the thing and when you eventually do, it breaks away in an easy, controlled way, yet one that still amply rewards driving skill. As with the Elise, entry and exit is for the able-bodied only and once youre inside, its a tight fit (even tighter than in the Lotus) to squeeze yourself into the thin racing-style bucket seats. At least carpets are optional, as is a £1,200 hard top to keep out the winter weather. Do without this and theres only a fiddly soft-top to keep the rain off which, once removed, fits neatly behind the seats in a bag supplied with the car.
Dont go expecting too much from it though: its really on supposed to offer get-you-home protection from the elements. Theres a luggage compartment behind the engine but dont go expecting too much. To be fair, the 206-litre space is enough for a couples weekend luggage and Vauxhall can supply a set of tailor-made bags to enable you to make the most of it. The VX220 Turbo has been virtually buried under the sheer weight of critical acclaim and the VXR220 just ramps the extreme factor up still further.
Although the price tag knocks on the door of £30k and may seem a lot for a car that weighs next to nothing, youre not buying metal, youre investing in capability and expertise.
Porsche drivers will need to pick their targets very carefully indeed.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Vauxhall VXR220
PRICES: £29,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 208g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 150+mph / 0-60mph 4.2s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 31.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Drivers airbag / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/width/heightmm 3790/1708/1112
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