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