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