Vauxhall VXR8 GTS | Spotted
The Aussie bruiser was already a riot with 585hp - this one has 760...
More than 20 years since the introduction of Monaros to the UK and more than we’d like to admit since the VXR8 went off sale, it can feel like there’s not very much more to say about the Vauxhall-badged Holdens. They always appealed thanks to a combination of V8 muscle, thuggish good looks and great value; an array of talents that’s only become more attractive to enthusiasts in recent years as cars like them have become so hard to come by. Monaros were scandalously cheap for a long time; not quite so much in 2025.
By the time this VXR8, the supercharged GTS, arrived in 2013, the Holden proposition was quite a different one to those early ‘Ros. Power was up beyond 500hp, the price was beyond £50k, and there was an abundance of tech to enhance the driving experience: Brake Torque Vectoring, Magnetic Ride Control dampers, a Driver Preference Dial and more. It all worked an absolute dream as well, VXR8 capable of playing both the four door muscle car and athletic supersaloon.
Crazy though it might have seemed for a 585hp, two-wheel drive saloon back, there was absolutely scope to push the big Vaux a bit further - it was a great chassis. So that’s exactly what the owner of this one has done. It’s a 2017 VXR8, one of the last made before the 15-unit GTS-R special edition, one that’s been treated to more than £30,000 of upgrades at Walkinshaw Performance. Nowhere better to fettle a Holden, of course.
And if you’re thinking that that amount of money spent on a car as powerful as a VXR8 GTS might make for something spectacular, then you’d be absolutely right. Thanks to custom cams, high flow injectors, intake and exhaust upgrades, a new supercharger pulley and bespoke headers, this is now said to be 760hp strong. Which ought to be pretty entertaining, putting things lightly.
Furthermore, ignoring the wild power for just a second, this is a pretty glorious example of a VXR8. It has covered just 33,000 miles in eight years, and had actually been in storage for the past three, used occasionally by a doting owner. It really does look as good as new, while also benefitting from an upgraded infotainment system as part of the modifications. Perhaps the power might make the VXR8 a tad extreme for everyday use - to say nothing of the fuel consumption - but on the other hand everything is in place for a sensational supersaloon experience.
When we previously wrote about a VXR8 GTS last year, a standard manual was £45k with fewer than 30,000 miles. The asking price on this one now is £65k, reflecting the upgrades and the status as one of the final examples. A heck of a lot of money, no doubt - those German alternatives it once undercut will have fallen much further - but a very special car nonetheless. And just imagine the sound.
SPECIFICATION | VAUXHALL VXR8 GTS
Engine: 6,162cc V8, supercharged
Transmission: 6-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 585@6,150rpm (standard)
Torque (lb ft): 546@3,850rpm (standard)
MPG: 18
CO2: 373g/km
Year registered: 2017
Recorded mileage: 33,197
Price new: £54,999 (2013)
Yours for: £64,990
Not a classy car (kinda the point) but that just drops in straight into the strata you'd be trying to avoid when people saw you bought this instead of a Merc or BMW.
The aim is to rise above the snide. The plate makes it look like the owner missed that memo.
Easy fix though (£80 to put it on retention and then burn the certificate).
Worst car I’ve ever owned. Great power and noise. s
te everywhere else.Spent more on it in 2 years than it cost me to even buy the damn thing.
There is a pic of it in the dictionary under “unreliable”
Crap cars
Worst car I’ve ever owned. Great power and noise. s
te everywhere else.Spent more on it in 2 years than it cost me to even buy the damn thing.
There is a pic of it in the dictionary under “unreliable”
Crap cars
Ive had 3 hsv, all bullet proof.2 with over 100,000 miles on them
Not my taste in plates but if you are too sensitive for that, lairy rear wheel drive Aussie muscle cars might be a bit too much for your delicate dispositions.
Unleash your inner Bogan, if the neighbourhood watch approves of course.
I occasionally borrow my sons supercharged Monaro, got out the other day and my hair had grown into a mullet, my shoes had become "thongs" and I had an insatiable urge for a can of VB !
It did require a new rear diff after much abuse, so got a new one shipped in from Australia where they are very common and relatively cheap being a Commadore HSV out there. Apart from that is was solid.
I used Monkfish Performance (when they were still open) for the majority of the servicing or required work. Walkinshaw are good at what they do but with a price tag to match.
I sold it about 10 years ago now. Keep checking on its MOT every now and again... the current owner only does about 400 miles a year on it.
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