Wednesday 11th December 2013

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS to debut at Autosport Show

You could buy a branded baseball cap at Autosport, or a supercharged V8 Vauxhall

---

More often than not, the bumph accompanying a new car is full of dubious and vague claims about said model's performance, efficiency or price. With the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS, as you may have expected, everything is rather more simple. Vauxhall's biggest boast is that it 'allows owners the least expensive membership into the 500bhp+ club'. And who wouldn't want that?

Yep, 585hp will do this

We've outlined the basics of the supercharged GTS in a previous story but the numbers are staggering enough to be worth repeating; 585hp, 545lb ft and £54,999. As power and price combinations go, that's fairly alluring. The top speed is identical to the standard car at 155mph, the only acceleration stat so far a 4.2-second 0-62mph sprint. Expect it to be rather rapid between those speeds though.

The news today from Vauxhall makes the new car even more PH-worthy, as it will make its UK debut at the Performance Car Show (in association with us and Autocar) next month. As part of the overall Autosport Show at the NEC, it will play host to a feast of fast cars both on static display and in the live action arena. Get your tickets here.

Vauxhall says the first UK customers will receive their supercharged VXR8s in the first quarter of next year. Wonder if there's a Tourer coming as well?

[pits]

£55k for a Vauxhall that looks like a Chinese copy, thats been built in a shed, of a Rover 75.
585bhp or not I can't see it shifting, maybe at £30k but even then in three years it will only be worth £3.

[AngryPartsBloke]

pits said:

£55k for a Vauxhall that looks like a Chinese copy, thats been built in a shed, of a Rover 75.
585bhp or not I can't see it shifting, maybe at £30k but even then in three years it will only be worth £3.

Most ingorant post I've seen in a while, on pistonheads that's quite the acomplishment.

[300bhp/ton]

I like these, and I really want to like these. But I wonder if GM is still making a mistake badging them as Vauxhall and not as Holden for the UK market.

Lets face it, £55k is a lot to spend on a car and a heck of a lot to spend at a Vauxhall dealership. And it's not as if GM feel the need to slap a Vauxhall badge on the front of a Camaro or Corvette.

[AngryPartsBloke]

300bhp/ton said:

I like these, and I really want to like these. But I wonder if GM is still making a mistake badging them as Vauxhall and not as Holden for the UK market.

Lets face it, £55k is a lot to spend on a car and a heck of a lot to spend at a Vauxhall dealership. And it's not as if GM feel the need to slap a Vauxhall badge on the front of a Camaro or Corvette.

Holden has no real name over here though, the Camaro/corvette does. plus it's an HSV. It woulldn't make much sense to do that now having sold the manaro and previous 2 generations of the VXR8 here. The last one didn't sell in big numbers and this one wont either. they know it won't but that's not what it's about. it's just to bring interest to the brand really.

The main issue is there is only a handful of VX dealers that can work on the VXR8/HSV's

[Dave Hedgehog]

pits said:

£55k for a Vauxhall that looks like a Chinese copy, thats been built in a shed, of a Rover 75.
585bhp or not I can't see it shifting, maybe at £30k but even then in three years it will only be worth £3.

pretty much spot on, you can lease an M5 for £580 a month who would take a vauxhall badged car over an M5 especially for the same or possibly higher monthlys

[lee_erm]

Reminds me of the facelift MG ZT from the front!

[300bhp/ton]

AngryPartsBloke said:

Holden has no real name over here though, the Camaro/corvette does. plus it's an HSV. It woulldn't make much sense to do that now having sold the manaro and previous 2 generations of the VXR8 here. The last one didn't sell in big numbers and this one wont either. they know it won't but that's not what it's about. it's just to bring interest to the brand really.

The main issue is there is only a handful of VX dealers that can work on the VXR8/HSV's

The thing is, almost anyone who is likely to buy one of these new, will know it's a Holden and know well of the Holden brand. So I'm unsure what the real advantage is to badging it as Vauxhall. I believe quite a few Monaro/VXR8 owners re-badge their cars to Holden also.

Personally I think it would help separate the model from being associated with either chavs in Corsa's or low grade reps in Vectra's.

I agree however that Vauxhall dealerships themselves have to be one big stumbling block with selling and supporting such vehicles.

[pits]

AngryPartsBloke said:

pits said:

£55k for a Vauxhall that looks like a Chinese copy, thats been built in a shed, of a Rover 75.
585bhp or not I can't see it shifting, maybe at £30k but even then in three years it will only be worth £3.

Most ingorant post I've seen in a while, on pistonheads that's quite the acomplishment.

Thank you, I do try.

I am right though, it looks like a rehashed Rover 75 add some bigger bumper openings, slightly modernise it.


It even has a similar side profile to the MG6



Sorry but it looks st, and £55k that's FIFTY FIVE.....FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND OF YOUR ENGLISH POUNDS on a Vauxhall that is more than likley a cobbled together pile of st and it's only redeeming feature is it has nigh on 600bhp.

What happens when you're at a party
"What do you drive Dave?"
"I've got a BMW M5"
"Oh very nice, is that the fast one?"
"Yes it is, top of the range"

Vs
"what are you driving these days"
"I've got a Vauxhall VXR8 GTS"
"What's that? Is it an Insignia? Or a Vectra?"
"No it's a VXR8 GTS"
"Never heard of it"

• *

"Talking to Dave then I saw"
"Yeah, just a catch up"
"what's he driving these days?"
"Vauxhall of some sorts, Insignia I think"
"Cocktail sausage?"
"Ai, go on then"


It's £55k, you could by all manner of fast cars for that, Ferrari, maybe a Lambo, Aston with ease, R8 maybe why would you choose to buy a Vauxhall over any of those, and again I will come back to fiddehfi thousand, it is going to devalue more than a brand new Jaguar with turd brown paint, a blue cloth velour interior with no options ticked other than a multifunction steering wheel, which doesn't actually do anything but turn the wheels, and a 4 cylinder diesel, no one is going to want that.

They are off their fking tits on crack, it doesn't even look good.

[RemyMartin]

pits said:

What happens when you're at a party
"What do you drive Dave?"
"I've got a BMW M5"
"Oh very nice, is that the fast one?"
"Yes it is, top of the range"

Vs
"what are you driving these days"
"I've got a Vauxhall VXR8 GTS"
"What's that? Is it an Insignia? Or a Vectra?"
"No it's a VXR8 GTS"
"Never heard of it"

• *

"Talking to Dave then I saw"
"Yeah, just a catch up"
"what's he driving these days?"
"Vauxhall of some sorts, Insignia I think"

It's £55k, you could by all manner of fast cars for that, Ferrari, maybe a Lambo, Aston with ease, R8 maybe why would you choose to buy a Vauxhall over any of those, and again I will come back to fiddehfi thousand, it is going to devalue more than a brand new Jaguar with turd brown paint, a blue cloth velour interior with no options ticked other than a multifunction steering wheel, which doesn't actually do anything but turn the wheels, and a 4 cylinder diesel, no one is going to want that.

They are off their fking tits on crack, it doesn't even look good.

Says more about you than any glib remark I could make, actually no wait, you lie because you don't get invited to parties.

[Sampaio]

"I love the smell of depreciation in the morning"

Seriously though, why wouldn't you buy a used 500hp+ car instead?

[Monaro5.7]

Dave Hedgehog said:

pretty much spot on, you can lease an M5 for £580 a month who would take a vauxhall badged car over an M5 especially for the same or possibly higher monthlys

I would take the Vauxhall over the BMW M5 as they are common see an M5 every day of the week but don't see a VXR8 that often and the Vauxhall would sound so much better than the BM.

The Vauxhall will will drop in Value but not as bad as the M5.

[Sid123]

This is a heart decision car not a head decision car. It will appeal to very few (especially at that price), and those that buy one do so because they want that car. It's not about being better or worse than an M5 or an AMG and in my mind it doesn't really bear comparison with these cars as ultimately it will 'lose' on almost every count. It difficult to find a true competitor to this car as it's really a bit of a relic. If you're looking at a C63 AMG I doubt you'd buy the Holden.
How do I know? In 2009 a salesman fired one up outside the showroom.
"Where do I sign?" I said.
"Don't you want a test drive?" he replied.
"No thanks"
"Why not?" he asked somewhat surprised.
"Because I know I'm going to like it" I replied. I wasn't even in the market for a new car!

And on the values don't be fooled into thinking they drop like a stone. Yes if you're wealthy/foolish/don't care enough to cough up the full asking it will take a heavy year 1 and 2 hit but bear in mind that in the summer of 2009 you could get a brand new 6.2 for £22,500(down from £36,500) including a full tank of fuel. On that basis and with very low mileage the car still retains 80%-90% of its value. Perhaps if we're lucky GM will indulge us again by offering what they can't sell at a knock down price.

[200bhp]

Could be the last of these - Holden announced today that theyre closing their factories here in Oz in 2015

[rtz62]

7 votes, 5.71 average.
5. Bloody 71!
Retorical question, but are there people out there that really rate so badly? I have this a 10, as in my mind I compared it in both price to an M5 and E63, both of which are more expensive, and don't offer much more in terms of performance.
I think I'd be tempted in a couple of years time after depreciation has taken its hungry bite out of the car, more so than an M5 or E63.

[pits]

RemyMartin said:

pits said:

What happens when you're at a party
"What do you drive Dave?"
"I've got a BMW M5"
"Oh very nice, is that the fast one?"
"Yes it is, top of the range"

Vs
"what are you driving these days"
"I've got a Vauxhall VXR8 GTS"
"What's that? Is it an Insignia? Or a Vectra?"
"No it's a VXR8 GTS"
"Never heard of it"

• *

"Talking to Dave then I saw"
"Yeah, just a catch up"
"what's he driving these days?"
"Vauxhall of some sorts, Insignia I think"

It's £55k, you could by all manner of fast cars for that, Ferrari, maybe a Lambo, Aston with ease, R8 maybe why would you choose to buy a Vauxhall over any of those, and again I will come back to fiddehfi thousand, it is going to devalue more than a brand new Jaguar with turd brown paint, a blue cloth velour interior with no options ticked other than a multifunction steering wheel, which doesn't actually do anything but turn the wheels, and a 4 cylinder diesel, no one is going to want that.

They are off their fking tits on crack, it doesn't even look good.

Says more about you than any glib remark I could make, actually no wait, you lie because you don't get invited to parties.

Well people are so far agreeing with what I am saying, all that is ^, is more on what I have originally said perhaps putting it into more context. Though, one perhaps could surmise that you indeed like it and you're considering wasting £55k on one, as I see no other reason why you would disagree, it looks like a rehashed Rover 75, someone else has said it as well

As for the parties thing, I hate people, at least you do see me as fluent, otherwise



Mod Edit - sorry, pictorial swearing is still swearing

Edited by burriana on Wednesday 11th December 14:06

[Crafty_]

300bhp/ton said:

I like these, and I really want to like these. But I wonder if GM is still making a mistake badging them as Vauxhall and not as Holden for the UK market.

200bhp said:

Could be the last of these - Holden announced today that theyre closing their factories here in Oz in 2015

As I understand it Holden is dead.

However, I was in Dallas last week and the news ran a story saying GM were ditching the Chevrolet brand in Europe to concentrate on Vx/Opel.
Does that mean that we now might get "proper" chevrolets here? albeit in small numbers ?

[300bhp/ton]

rtz62 said:

7 votes, 5.71 average.
5. Bloody 71!
Retorical question, but are there people out there that really rate so badly? I have this a 10, as in my mind I compared it in both price to an M5 and E63, both of which are more expensive, and don't offer much more in terms of performance.
I think I'd be tempted in a couple of years time after depreciation has taken its hungry bite out of the car, more so than an M5 or E63.

For me it's a 10, except for the badge and price.

In reality though, this is no M5 or E63 alternative. GM should be pushing it as an alternative to a 335i with more power and more space.

[RemyMartin]

[Andy ap]

I thought these things were cheaper than that?

Either way i must start considering one, american V8 muscle, european handling, muscle car looks, four doors and RWD is this not the perfect real world PH car?

[300bhp/ton]

Andy ap said:

I thought these things were cheaper than that?

Either way i must start considering one, american V8 muscle, european handling, muscle car looks, four doors and RWD is this not the perfect real world PH car?

Eurpean handling what you mean either too hard, or too soft, but either way some how deluding yourself that it's superior despite using the same components as cars from other countries....

For the record, Holden is from Australia, which unless things have changed is not part of Europe. The car, the platform and the components however are General Motors, which is American. But then so is a Ford Focus!