| In this time of motoring crisis, where petrol is | | | | it really is man and machine, with no fancy computers |
| rocketing in price and environmentalists are screaming | | | | or iPod docking to get in the way of driving. 19 inch |
| for us to drive about in what appear to be battery | | | | alloy wheels adorn the four corners and a rear spoiler |
| powered chest freezers, it's clear that car | | | | helps block out the majority of rear visibility. In fact |
| manufacturers need to take note. | | | | the wheels and spoiler look almost too small with the |
| All the big players are either producing hybrid vehicles | | | | flared wheel arches and aggressive front end making |
| or tiny hatchbacks with even smaller emissions. | | | | the car as big and butch as Bruce Willis. |
| Vauxhall are one of the biggest players on the car | | | | Just like Bruce, the VXR8 has a presence whether |
| scene and you'd expect them to be the market | | | | the styling is to your taste or not. Inside, as you'd |
| leader in eco-friendly terms. A trip to your Vauxhall | | | | expect from a four door saloon, room is plentiful, so |
| dealer however, will show that someone at HQ didn't | | | | even a six-footer like me in the rear still has ample |
| get the low emissions memo. Whether it's a Corsa, | | | | head and legroom. In the UK the car costs a mere |
| Vectra or even a Zafira, Vauxhall offer them all with | | | | £35,000 which for a genuine BMW M5 rival is |
| a 'VXR' badge, which helps turn even the most | | | | pocket money. There are few clues as to where this |
| mild-mannered hatchback/saloon/MPV into a raging | | | | money has been saved, although parts of the interior |
| beast that gorges on the tarmac it rides on top of. | | | | do give the game away a tad. Some of the plastics |
| Vauxhall seem to have got the mix right too, with | | | | do feel like Vauxhall had just £100 left to finish |
| the Corsa still flying off the shelves in standard or | | | | the inside. However, it is put together well and |
| VXR guise. | | | | ultimately its how it drives that's the big winner. |
| Despite this clever juggling of which versions will | | | | There's nothing subtle about how the VXR8 puts its |
| meet with public demand, Vauxhall dealers have a | | | | power down and it sounds fantastic doing so. |
| secret hidden away, probably chained up in the attic | | | | Gigantic brakes and suspension help keep you on the |
| of their showrooms throughout the world. The | | | | road and it really can handle a corner - as you'd |
| secret isn't based on any other Vauxhall model, isn't | | | | expect from its racing heritage. The gearbox is slick |
| available in different trims and in this current | | | | and helps maintain the car's feel of being raw and |
| economic climate, really shouldn't be in production at | | | | being put on this planet for one reason - to go fast. |
| all. The secret? The Vauxhall VXR8. | | | | Yet despite all this tyre burning and |
| Perhaps better known as the successor to the | | | | pedal-to-the-metal mayhem, the VXR8 has a trump |
| Vauxhall Monaro, the VXR8 is Vauxhall's most | | | | card. On the motorway, because the engine is just |
| raucous hotrod ever. Packing a 6.0 litre (yes really!) | | | | so powerful and crucially full of torque, the 6.0 litre |
| engine under the bonnet, you get the impression the | | | | unit barely ticks over, thus returning a heart warming |
| word 'hybrid' would be met with a confused | | | | and wallet smiling 27mpg. Yes, town driving sees the |
| expression from the VXR8. The performance figures | | | | consumption rocket faster than a space shuttle |
| are astounding too, with rear wheel drive helping get | | | | launch, but taking the VXR8 into town is like shackling |
| 400bhp onto the road in a 0-60mph time of 4.9 | | | | a bear in a cage - they'd both be far happier roaming |
| seconds. Top speed hasn't been officially recorded, | | | | free. |
| presumably because Vauxhall fired the designer that | | | | In summary Vauxhall's latest whiplash inducer sees |
| missed the memo. Nevertheless other reviewers | | | | the driver taken back to a time when driving was a |
| have easily hit 170mph+ and I'm happy to agree. Oh, | | | | steering wheel, four tyres and a seat. You feel every |
| did I mention it's got four doors? | | | | movement the car makes and it's a joy to behold in |
| The VXR8 looks every inch the racing saloon, which | | | | this age when computers seem to control every bit |
| when you consider its original form is as a Holden | | | | of driving in other sports saloons. Looks like Vauxhall |
| Commodore, mostly seen racing in Australia, this | | | | HQ did get the environmental memo. They've gone |
| doesn't surprise. Everything is big, brash and organic - | | | | organic and grown their own drivers' car. |