Unique Auto

Posts Tagged ‘Vauxhall VXR8’

A racing car that you can drive on the British roads; it’s all any driver wants from life. When stopping at traffic lights I still get the (rather immature) urge to rev my engine, as if challenging the person in the next lane to a drag race. In a Hot Rod this would be perfectly rational behaviour, in a Ford Focus it’s just slightly embarrassing. What your average common or garden driver is really looking for is a compromise between the Hot Rod and the Fiesta; a car that is practical, but can still get the heart racing when you put your foot down. With some considerable confidence, Vauxhall claim to have created this elusive amalgamation of form, function and performance in the Vauxhall VXR Range.

This definitely isn’t the first time popular car manufacturers have attempted this enviable feat. Volkswagen have been doing it for years with the Golf GTi ranges and Ford have a rich lineage of racing cars from the RS Cosworth. All of these cars are great to drive and all perform to very high standards. The only grievances I hold against them are the rather insulting connotations that drivers of these vehicles are often labelled with. What started off as a rather jovial and almost friendly “boy racer” has now transformed into the less agreeable “chavs”, “townies” and “neds” (dependent on your geographical location). These derogatory labels don’t seem to concern those who actually are chavs etc…, but the rest of us normal human beings want to drive these wonderful cars without the social stigma.

With the VXR Range, Vauxhall want to readdress the balance and have designed and engineered a car that goes like stink, but retains understated looks. That is until you take a look at the Vauxhall VXR8…which looks like it has careened straight out of a post-apocalyptic landscape in the year 3000 in a hail of fire and bullets. Alas, the VXR8 would be pointless if Vauxhall hadn’t installed it out with an engine that could strip paint from 20 miles. So let’s be thankful that they have done exactly that.

The Vauxhall VXR8 6.2 Litre V8 engine has a manic 431 BHP which when put to the test, will get you from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. If you count that in your head, you can almost feel the raw power that the VXR8 must have. However, as the popular saying goes, with great power comes huge responsibility. If you push the VXR8 slightly too far, you will find yourself in a ditch with your face through the windscreen. To say its twitchy as speed increases would be something of an understatement, even on a dual carriageway you feel like you might flip at any moment in a huge tidal wave of explosions and noise.

My only fault with the Vauxhall VXR8 would be that it seems to create a drama out of everything, like some kind of stereotypical pantomime performer refusing to grow old gracefully. But unlike most criticisms, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the Vauxhall VXR8 despite all its tendencies toward fuss and commotion. Without descending into the world of horrible clichés, you genuinely feel like the Grim Reaper is stalking you every single time you put the key in the ignition, but for the exhilaration it is worth it. The Vauxhall VXR8 is a car of pure brilliance, but don’t even consider going near one unless you are either a) a skilled driver, or b) completely insane.