Vauxhall VX220 Turbo
The name Vauxhall doesn't stir up any great excitement in the United States. For one thing, the cars aren't sold here and thus Vauxhall is not a household name. For another, Vauxhall isn't exactly exotic; it's simply the British branch of GM and has a long history of selling dull cars.
The Vauxhall VX220 Turbo is many things--impractical, cramped, and thrilling--but it certainly could not be called dull. The VX220 is a lightweight giant-killer for both the road and the track, meant to embarrass much more expensive Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches.
The VX220 Turbo started as many great single-purpose sports cars have--with an incredibly light, stiff frame, with no unnecessary performance-deadening weight. Much of the 2,000-pound chassis was shared with Lotus' excellent Elise, and with an amidships-mounted 200-horsepower turbo four, the VX220 Turbo boasted a power/weight ratio of only 10 pounds per horsepower. It's fundamentally a track car with just enough civilization to drive on the street.
The 0-60 sprint comes up in 4.5 seconds, but that's only part of the story. The same lack of mass that makes the VX220 Turbo a stormer in a straight line makes it a holy terror on the track. Near race-car braking and adhesion, backed by turbo power on the straightaways, make the VX220 a formidable competitor.
The VX220's single-minded design might not be great for driving the kids to soccer practice, but it offers great performance for not much money. The VX220 can run with hot Porsche 911s; it completely blows away cars like the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, and Honda S2000. Perhaps I should use the past tense, though; the VX220 was discontinued in 2005.
Before the Pontiac Solstice debuted there had been an excited rumor that the Solstice would in fact be a rebadged VX220. The Solstice and Saturn Sky aren't bad cars, but in the context of the VX220 I'll always look at them with some disappointment. I'm even more disappointed that the VX220 didn't make the trip across the pond under Fiero badging.
--Chris H.
Brian on June 26, 2008 at 09:09 PM
Cool. I like everything about it except how it looks, and the fact that I can't buy one because I live in the USA. What's up with THAT? (the latter?)
David Colborne on June 26, 2008 at 09:50 PM
I smell annoying "safety" laws killing that thing before it made it across the pond. Just remember - if it weren't for the Corvair ruining it for everyone, we wouldn't be in this mess.
(Well, the Corvair and Nader... and obnoxious hippies. They think they're saving the world, but they're just living in their parents' basement, getting high and starting drum circles...)
Jane on June 26, 2008 at 10:19 PM
This is too much. It's tempting me to do something "foolish". I know we are talking about the VX220, but it reminds me too much of other cars I've been looking at. Mid Engine Rear wheel drive 2 seaters. It all started with the quest for a 914, then one day I idly gazed upon an MR2 Spyder, and as if I had never seen it before decided I liked it. That of course lead me to read up on the MR2s which lead me to a fascination with the1Gen MR2. Man I love that nicely creased beautifully angular wedge.
Most that I have seen so far are wrecks. My hopes were dashed today when a mint supercharged late 1st gen appeared on Ebay and then suddenly climbed to $10K. People have you no shame! This evening I test drove a less pristine example. It was in the right price range. The body was rust free almost dent free. The down sides: I think the main seal is leaking oil, I'm guessing there's an alternator that needs replacing, and the suspension has a nasty klunk (on the passenger side - bad bushings? bad ball joint), and there's a funny high pitched whistle coming from somewhere in the engine compartment. Aside from the mystery whistle this stuff seems fixable if slightly problematic - still not bad for 20 years. The interior was remarkably clean.
Then there's the engine. It was the cleanest engine I've seen aside from my SI or something off the show room. All the vacuum hoses were fresh. And it has some sweet headers and a deep throaty exhaust. The kid selling it has an emissions control certificate from a few days ago. Looking at the mods on this engine that he claims is stock, he paid some one off to get it. But that's two years of driving fun before arrangements have to be made.
As this car came out of the garage with its throaty rumblings I got really excited. That kind of tug at your heart. Excitement in your gut, "it's old and a little worn, but man is it NICE!" kind of excited. The suspension klunk when I test drove it brought me back to reality. But it handled really well and felt really tight. And the transmission was good and smooth. Then I opened this baby up...
I can honestly state that aside from a full-on race car or a motorcycle, I have never driven anything that accelerated like this thing did. It flattened me. Literally and figuratively. I'm guessing that the supercharger is being over-cranked. I'm not even sure it has a catalytic converter. I wasn't really watching the boost gauge when this rocket took off. My guess is that it is putting out roughly the same power as the VX220. And it's roughly the same weight. This thing would be incredibly addictive. I can only imagine that the VX220 would be a never ending delight. It looks like a cross between a 3rd Gen MR2 and an Elise. I love the look of the VX220 - but this is too much !
Right now there's a 1st gen MR2 rust free, clean interior, with a monstrous engine, some fixable mechanical issues, and a price tag around $3500 it's calling my name. And I come home and read CarLust and there's a VX220 with some pretty similar specs. I'm not going to sleep well tonight - I'm not going to sleep well at all. My head says no. Then my head says, "it can all be fixed". My heart says, "you want it - you know you want it." Damn - this is too much. Damn you car lust!! Damn you!
Mochi Mochi on June 26, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Ack - signed in from my girlfriend's computer! Damn this thing. That MR2's acceleration must have flattened my brain.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 27, 2008 at 07:22 AM
Mochi, if you're determined to get an MR2, this sounds like the best MR2 you're ever going to see. If your checkbook can handle it, I'd go for it.
Rob the SVX guy on June 27, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Jane: Get it. Suspension klunks are easily solved, it could be as simple as a swaybar bushing. The rest of it sounds easily fixable too. Start at $2900, and maybe he'll take it. Once you get it, take it into a nice mom and pop shop and have them fix everything, and spend like $1500. Then poof. Enjoy your relatively problem free car for another 100,000 miles. :)
Chris: Great car. I first discovered them in Gran Turismo, and it's a hot little ride. Much cooler than a solstice/sky, and much more potent.
To Mochi, wherever he is, since I know he seemed interested in preludes with 4ws: Guess what I just found for sale a few blocks from my house? A completely rust free 1990 or 1991 Prelude Si with 4ws. Just like my wife's yellow one. It has a busted windshield and someone slashed it's tires. It's just sitting there, calling my name like a wounded animal. I have loved the 65,000 miles of service my 89 accord has given me over the past few years, but it looks like I might have to upgrade. I cannot deny a 4ws Prelude, especially one this clean. Walking my dog, I went over to the house in front of it and rang the bell. I talked to a woman, turns out it's her husband's car, and he's been overseas for a year. She called him, I talked to him, he has another car and no longer needs the prelude. He's coming home on Sunday, and he's going to discuss it with me then, but he's pretty sure he wants to sell it. Now... I LOVE preludes... I really do... but I feel an emotional bond with my accord. It's not the money, it's the space. I already have 3 cars between the wife and I, and there's no way I could talk her into getting another one, so I'd have to sell my accord. It's pretty clean, it runs flawlessly, and I've had a lot of adventures in it. It's also a 4dr, which is more practical, really. But man. I can't stop thinking about the lude. My name is Rob and I admit I have a problem. I have car lust.
Ian on June 27, 2008 at 09:02 AM
David: As someone who is both obnoxious and a semi-hippie, I take offense. I'd love one of these.
OldCarGuy on June 27, 2008 at 09:26 AM
MochiJane, buy it. Life's complications prevent my buying another MR-2, or I'd be scanning the horizons for one to put into my garage (for one thing, I'd have to sell my old Beetle). My first gen Mister put more smiles on my face than several old girlfriends put together.
As for the Vauxhall, coincidentally (or not), just last night I was watching a Top Gear I'd recorded earlier and they featured another Vauxhall, the VXR8. I've got to say that I was completely in lust with it for several reasons, not the least of which was its utter affordability (37000 pounds, whatever that converts to) when compared to its competition. I LIKE THAT in a vehicle. I found the feature online here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBSIwQ7B3W0
Aside: In what I consider to be a wasteland of TV programs, I'm not shy of proclaiming my love for Top Gear on BBC America. A great show for the automotive addict.
Jimbob on June 27, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Power to weight ratio of 10 pounds per horsepower? That looks more like weight to power ratio, unless they measure things differently in Blighty.
Smaack on June 27, 2008 at 12:26 PM
I wish, but the truth is that the Chevy guys aren't going to let anything compete with the Corvette. That's what killed the Fiero and why we won't see anything like this here.
on June 27, 2008 at 01:12 PM
had a second generation MR2 turbo when it first came out. 2 seats, 8 speakers and 200 horsepower (in 93). I loved that car. I now have a 91 NSX, which is faster in the long run but not as quick and not as much fun as the MR2
my advice is to look at the 2nd generation turbo.
Mark B. on June 27, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Jane, that whistle might be the supercharger running on old oil. It doesn't lubricate from the main engine supply and needs to be changed every so often -- if my memory properly serves, every 30,000 miles or so (in a former life I was a Toyota service manager, just about the time these cars came out). Ask the kid if he's put that many miles on it and whether or not the SC oil's been changed. If yes and no, pay him to take it to an independent repair shop -- not a Toyota dealership -- and have them do it to see if it fixes the noise.
Ask if the valves have been run. They're adjusted by reshimming the cam followers. Ask if the timing belt's been replaced lately, within the last 60k; a broken timing belt on that little 1.6L screamer is not a pleasant experience. The clunk in the suspension is probably either a bad strut bushing or it needs new struts, neither of which should be a deal-breaker, though the struts themselves are going to be a bit pricey.
Anything else it might need is simply routine maintenance.
Best,
'Berg
Mochi Mochi & Jane :) on June 27, 2008 at 01:44 PM
Thank you all! I can't tell you how much we appreciate your support and great technical advice. I thought the whistle might be an indication of superchager lube. The deal is "in play" - aaah the pleasures of dealing with the general public. It would have been completed but the seller had not gotten a title from the DMV. Oh well - good to have been to the verge of completing a buy. Once said title arrives I can complete the purchase if it still feels right. The good news is I now know that really dig the MR2. So that in and of itself is great. I'll keep looking and if the deal becomes solid with a title for transfer of ownership I know I've got a car I like.
Rob: Rust Free! 4WS! Buy it and keep them all. The handling alone for the 4WS makes it a super-car in my mind. It would be hard to find something so incredibly nimble. The thing I found with the Prelude is that it can set it's suspension for a turn faster than any other car I can think of. It is effortless and completely accurate - like its on rails - the steering is amazing. If you don't get it I will.
Your accord is a beauty. The 4WS could be worth the reduction in real estate and a little hassle. It gives you something when the other one rusts away. You know what that car can do. So let's see... the Accord, a Prelude, and the SVX? You can handle one more. If the deal pans out - if it feels right - go for it.
Yes this is an illness. But damn it's a lot of fun.
sarge on June 27, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Now, now... what killed the Fiero in part was it's nasty tendency to burst into flames once in a while, just for sport.
Mark B. on June 27, 2008 at 02:10 PM
Jane & Mochi Mochi:
No prollem. My wife owned an '87 Mister Two when we got married, red with black leather guts and T-tops -- it's actually how we met -- and I loved that little car. Needless to say, given my then-profession, it got all the tender loving care a car could hope for and was in immaculate condition when we sold it in, must have been '95 or thereabouts.
I still miss it.
'Berg
Chris Hafner on June 27, 2008 at 03:09 PM
Jimbob: "Power to weight ratio of 10 pounds per horsepower? That looks more like weight to power ratio, unless they measure things differently in Blighty."
That's right--strictly speaking, the measure is 10 pounds to 1 horsepower, thus weight-to-power ratio. It's typically referred to as power-to-weight ratio, though.
Chris Hafner on June 27, 2008 at 03:23 PM
Rob: "My name is Rob and I admit I have a problem. I have car lust."
Mochi: "Yes this is an illness. But damn it's a lot of fun."
Amen, gentlemen. Mochi, that MR2 sounds about as nice as you're going to find. It's not often you find a supercharged example, and you're right - those first-gen MR2s are very, very pretty. I'm not as fond of the MR Spyder as you are, but I like the second-gen MR2s as well, though they're less original than the origami first-gen.
I didn't really care for the Prelude at the time, but it's really grown on me. And they were supposed to be *sweet* handlers. And who could resist this line?
"It has a busted windshield and someone slashed it's tires. It's just sitting there, calling my name like a wounded animal."
Yet I can imagine how jettisoning the Accord would be pretty traumatic. Perhaps the solution would be to donate your SVX to Car Lust HQ for research and testing purposes? Purely scientific, you understand.
I'm now consumed with curiosity on those cars. Post pics!
Chris Hafner on June 27, 2008 at 03:25 PM
sarge: "Now, now... what killed the Fiero in part was it's nasty tendency to burst into flames once in a while, just for sport."
The worst part of the Fiero saga was the fact that GM canceled the car just when they got it right. The 1988 Fiero was a nice car, and a legit competitor for the MR2, if not quite as sharp a scalpel.
More Fiero thoughts:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2008/01/car-lust-pontia.html
Mochi Mochi on June 27, 2008 at 04:04 PM
Chris: "I didn't really care for the Prelude at the time, but it's really grown on me."
I'm with you on that - I felt the same way at the time. But then one day a couple of months ago I saw a red Prelude SI on the 5 north. It looked really good. Driving the 4WS - AMAZING! It's the first car that I have driven in stock shape that made me rethink how a car could handle.
Chris: "I'm not as fond of the MR Spyder as you are".
I would not call myself particularly fond of the Spyder. I just like it. I actually think its kind of odd and even slightly ugly or awkward. Which I think makes me like it more. I don't like the fact that it does not have a roll bar, not because I think I need one, but because if I want to take it on the track I'd have to install one. I tend to think of the Sypder as being rather bug like - kind of an odd scarab like object. Mostly it had been something I had discounted for a variety of arbitrary reasons for many years. It just all of a sudden became a viable car. I think it will be one of those cars that ages well. It does not really look like too many cars on the road right now. 20 years down the line it will be the next 914. People will trade their right arm to get one in pristine considion. At least that's my guess. For that reason alone I should buy one with low miles and put it on ice :)
By contrast the 1st Gen MR2 I think has that lovely 80's Japanese meets Italian design look. Those angular planes are really something special. And again something that is oddly appealing to me. The bluntly truncated rear end with button like tail lights - all I can say is "neat!". Now having spent more time in and around the MR2, one of the salient features is just how small it is. I thought the 1 gen was great when it came out, but looks even better today. The second generation was a car that I immediately was drawn too, and still like a lot. But it's almost too pretty. I kind of need my car to be less pretty. Don't know why - must just be me.
Chris Hafner on June 27, 2008 at 06:57 PM
I think at the time, when wedgy sports coupes were normal, I thought the Prelude was just a little too generic. Now that automotive styles have changed so drastically, and it no longer closely resembles so many other cars on the road, the innate goodness of the design stands out a little more dramatically.
But that's just the looks; they've always been completely sublime handlers, 4WS or not.
Mochi Mochi: "It does not really look like too many cars on the road right now. 20 years down the line it will be the next 914."
I could definitely see that, it does have a little bit of that 914 flavor.
Rich Fletcher on June 28, 2008 at 07:24 AM
You can buy a better version of this Vauvhall 22I right now in the US. It's the Lotus Exige S240:
http://www.lotuscars.com/exige_s240.html
I agree that GM will allow no Corvette killer in the U. This one looks like the Lotus Exige.
Regarding MR2's, I had and raced (SCCA Solo2)Toyota MR2 variants from 1985 through 1994. The Type 1's best year with the normally aspirated 4AGE engine is 1985. The 1989 Supercharged car is a blast, but needs more fender well room for fatter rubber. The 1991-'95 turbos are great, and even the normally aspirated Type 2 cars can out handle anything from Porsche. I've driven many 914s, Caymans and Boxsters. I still love the MR2s, having owned/raced five of them.
here on August 23, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Great car
Nel on August 31, 2008 at 02:49 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z5pqT7lfuE
Clarkson on the VX220
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy8Ilaj99pk
or the Opel Speedster to our continental cousins.
The new Opel Speedster (Solstice) replaced it sadly, but has no-where near the Gallardo type acceleration and handling the 220 offered for so little money. I went to buy a Lotus Esprit Sport 350, had a chance to drive a 220 and I bought it instead, with a simple remap they step up to 240bhp, 4sec 0-60 and these are truly one of the fastest things round a race track. On the road, they have minimal comforts, though more than in an Elise) and deliver 33+MPG!!! http://www.reallymeansounds.com/reports/438/big/IMG_2108.JPG
Martin♠ on October 06, 2008 at 05:48 PM
I am a Californian! - I purchased an 09 SKY Red Line two weeks ago. Like the styling a bunch - Was considering a Corette, really!. This is not so common. Like the 260 HP punch - If I need more, I'll add a chip, but seems adequate right now. I raced competitively in the 60's at Watkins Glen in a sponsored Triumph. Trunk is almost non existant, no cubbies in the cockpit - top is as wacky as a British car of the 60's. BUT - this is a looker (Stirling called them "crumpet collectors" ) handles great and doesn't guzzle fuel too much. Price is good too.