Exclusive First Drive: Wortec VXR8 Carbon Edition

PistonHeads is one of the first in the world to get the keys to the 600bhp supercharged Wortec VXR8 Carbon Edition. This is what we thought...

Pulling into the car park of a Vauxhall garage on a Wednesday morning would not normally be the kind of thing that fills me with fear. But this morning it is particularly cold, there are reminders of last night’s frost everywhere, and in front of me is one of the meanest looking cars I have ever seen. It is jet black, lowered, has 20” wheels as dark as the bodywork and packs a 600bhp+ supercharged 6.0 litre V8. It looks for all the world like it’s just driven off the set of Mad Max. This is the Wortec Vauxhall VXR8 ‘Carbon Edition’ – a VXR8 like no other. In fact it makes the 411bhp standard car look a little tame – and certainly way too high off the ground - and is the work of the UK’s largest tuning house for V8-powered Vauxhall cars.

For a start the ‘Carbon Edition’ sits 35mm lower on stiffened suspension, emphasising the large wheel arches and making the big Vauxhall seem far better proportioned. Huge orange calipers peep out from behind the ‘Diamond Black’ alloys, linked by a stripe along the bottom of the door line in the same colour. It appears to wear one of the colour schemes available on the Porsche GT3 RS, but that is no bad thing.

Round the back the latest incarnation of Wortec’s electronic switching exhaust system pokes out. The system is constructed from a high grade 2.5" and 3" stainless steel tubing which is mandrel bent into a complete straight through system. The exhaust benefits from a ‘crossover’ or ‘merge section’ which joins the two sides of the exhaust together for a short distance, increasing low end torque by supplying a scavenging effect which increases flow.There is a button next to the handbrake that allows the driver to switch between two volume settings - loud or not so loud. The volume change is in the rear boxes where there are two paths through the box (no restriction at all), one path is quiet (less loud) and the other is loud (100+dba). A simple electronic valve chooses which path to use. There is no change in power, it’s really just a party trick, but a neat trick at that, and the rear pipes mirror the VXR8’s LED tail lights.

The supercharger is a positive displacement

design, with a capacity of over 2 litres per revolution. This translates to the VXR8’s 6 litre capacity having the grunt of an 8 litre, and I am warned that the power from the charger is instantaneous from any revs. Looking at the moisture still lingering on the tarmac outside is making my mouth feel dry and my heart is beating faster than normal. The plan is to drive the car 50 miles to Chertsey, Surrey, and meet John Reindorp, PistonHeads member 'John_r', who has owned a myriad of different cars, but now drives a BMW M5 every day. I want to find out what he makes of the big Vauxhall and how (if at all) it compares to an M5.

Although it looks huge, the VXR8 doesn’t feel too big as I potter towards the M20, and with a very light clutch it is far easier to drive than I imagined. The ride is surprisingly supple, considering how low the car sits, and my first impressions are it is not as intimidating as it looks. The VXR8 happily wafts along on a wave of torque (600 lb ft), requiring little attention to the gear lever. The cabin is low rent compared to the latest German offerings, with cheap plastics and tacky ‘VXR8’ logos on the seats, but it is comfortable and spacious.

It is at this moment, as I start to relax, becoming complacent almost, that the VXR8 decides to give me a kick in the teeth. Coming onto the motorway I press firmly on the throttle. An almighty supercharger whine fills the cabin and the car instantly surges forward, the rear wheels scrabbling for traction as I change into third. I am pinned to the seat, the supercharger’s demented mechanical howl completely drowning out the sound of the vocal V8, the scenery suddenly turning into a blur. This is not a car you take for granted - it is seriously quick.

Wortec claims 0-60mph takes 4.5 seconds (4.6 seconds for an M5) and it will hit 100mph in 9 (9.8 for an M5). It will be doing 120mph when a standard car reaches 100mph and top speed is estimated to be over 180mph. I settle down to enjoy the surprisingly low levels of traffic on the M25, and try to ignore the rubber-necking van drivers who pull alongside.

John checks out the interior

I’ve arranged to meet John in the car park outside Surrey Rolling Road in Chertsey. He takes one look at the car and sums up its appearance. ‘It looks brutal,’ he says. ‘It’s not over the top though, it looks much better than the standard VXR8.’ John has owned an E60 M5, his first M5, for 18 months and has done 20,000 miles in it. It is a Dec ’05 car and although he has enjoyed owning it he is now waiting for a new Nissan GT-R to arrive. In the past John has owned a TVR, a Mitsubishi Evo, a Prodrive Impreza, a Ford Mondeo ST200, a Mercedes S500, and many more. He doesn’t pledge allegiance to one brand and keeps an open mind when choosing a new car.

‘The M5 is far stealthier – this looks like more of

John and Nigel exchange views

a beast. The wheels and colour totally transform the car,’ he adds. John has brought down Nigel 'bmwdrivernigel' Fothergill-Clark, who has owned both M5s and M3s over the years. 'It looks really aggressive,' he adds. 'It would be interesting to see this in your rear mirror - in black it looks amazing.' The inside of the car doesn’t go down quite so well. 'It’s not a patch on the M5, I’m disappointed with the seats,’ he says. I give John the keys to find out what he thinks of the VXR8 out on the road. After a few miles he says: ‘The supercharger sounds amazing and the exhaust sounds fantastic. There is just slabs and slabs of torque. Coming out of a bend I can just put my foot down – it was lovely because I don’t have to change gear. However the M5’s power is more linear and somehow it doesn’t feel as quick as the BMW - overtaking in 3^rd I had to wait for the supercharger.'

He agrees that car is easier to drive than it looks. ‘The clutch is lovely,' he says. 'But the steering is a little light. I don’t feel like I could attack a bend as much as I could in the M5 – it doesn’t feel quite as planted but it is definitely rawer.’ Taking the M5 out next, I doubt whether it is quicker in a straight line, although the speed piles smoother than the Vauxhall.The VXR8 delivers its speed with a succession of sledgehammer blows. John concludes that if the Wortec VXR8 Carbon Edition was a little cheaper (it is £47,500), and he was a bit younger, he would consider it. But the more refined suspension, gearbox, and overall quality of the M5 swing it for John. ‘I guess my summary would be that the M5 is a far superior car all round, but the Wortec definitely has it's place and probably doesn't have anything to directly compare with unless

it's another modified car,’ he concludes.

Driving back to Greens of Holborough to return the car I realise I would like to keep it for a few more hours. It may not be as polished as German super-saloons, but it certainly is different. The car verges on the point of insanity, turning heads wherever it goes, drinking petrol at a staggering rate, and making the kind of sound that knocks the birds from the trees. It will be a sad day if they stop making cars like this anymore.

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Agoogy

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