2000 Vauxhall VX220
Vauxhall tried its hand at building a proper sports car in the early Noughties with the mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive VX220 (known on the continent as the Opel Speedster). The car was a collaboration with Lotus that shared much with the Elise, and it was built at the same Norfolk factory. The Vauxhall was just as rewarding to drive as its Lotus counterpart, and came with a choice of naturally aspirated 2.2-litre or turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine. Although the Vauxhall badge isn’t as desirable as a Lotus emblem, the VX220 is a great car that has an established following.
Built by Lotus using its innovative extruded aluminium chassis technology – the Elise’s basic tub was used but with a 30mm longer wheelbase and a 20mm wider rear track – the VX was powered by a grunty 145bhp 2.2-litre nat-asp engine, driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual box. Weighing just 870kg, the two-seater was indecently quick, blitzing to 60mph in just 5.6 seconds and onto the wrong side of 135mph.
In Detail
| engine | Inline-4 |
| valvetrain | DOHC 4 Valves / Cyl |
| displacement | 2198 cc / 134.1 in³ |
| power | 108.1 kw / 145.0 bhp @ 5800 rpm |
| specific output | 65.97 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | bhp per tonne |
| torque | 203.4 nm / 150.0 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm |
| body / frame | Fibre Reinforced Plastic over an Alumnium Chassis |
| driven wheels | Transverse Mid Engine / RWD |
| front tires | 175/55ZR-17 |
| rear tires | 225/45ZR-17 |
| front brakes | Vented Discs w/ABS |
| f brake size | x 288 mm / x 11.3 in |
| r brake size | x 288 mm / x 11.3 in |
| front wheels | F 43.2 x 14.0 cm / 17.0 x 5.5 in |
| rear wheels | R 43.2 x 19.0 cm / 17.0 x 7.5 in |
| steering | Unassisted Rack & Pinion |
| curb weight | 875 kg / 1929 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2330 mm / 91.7 in |
| front track | 1450 mm / 57.1 in |
| rear track | 1488 mm / 58.6 in |
| length | 3790 mm / 149.2 in |
| width | 1884 mm / 74.2 in |
| height | 1112 mm / 43.8 in |
| transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| gear ratios | :1 |
| top speed | ~218.9 kph / 136.0 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~5.6 seconds |
| drag | 0.37 Cd |
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