If your sole goal as a UK car buyer is to get the most horsepower for under sixty thousand pounds, then you need to look no further than the revised Vauxhall VXR8 GTS, a rebadged Holden HSV with an American engine. Said mill has recently been boosted by an extra 150 horses and now screams to the tune of 576 of them .
It’s the same supercharged LSA V8 engine as the one used under the bonnet of the recently revealed Camaro ZL1 .
Starting from £54,999 (US$90,000), it’s as it’s always been, great value for money (compared to the Germans, of course – i.e. the M5 is priced from £73,505 or US$120,300) and if the plethora of online and owner reviews are right, not bad as a car either.
Benchmark sprint time to 62mph (100km/h) is 4.2 seconds, and top speed is limited to 155 mph (250km/h). Keeping everything in check is a Brake-Torque Vectoring system that is said to quell understeer at high speeds, while Magnetic Ride Control with three settings to choose from makes it a better-suited all-rounder.
The car’s exterior benefits from light cosmetic touchups that are concentrated at the front – there’s a new “twin-nostril” grille design plus a new bumper; “twin-kidney ” must have been taken… There’s also a new diffuser and spoiler combo at the back too – it brings out the LED tail lamps.
The cabin has been freshened up as well, and as the manufacturer says “has undergone a raft of design changes.” The improvements include a new instrument cluster with new gauges, as well as a revised center stack, door panels and new leather-clad seats that are 8-way electrically-adjustable.
The new VXR8 will make its “surprise debut at the Performance Car Show alongside Autosport International next month,” with deliveries poised for the first quarter of 2014.
By Andrei Nedelea
