Vauxhall VXR8 GTS | Spotted
585hp of manual V8 supercharged lunacy. They really don't make 'em like they used to
A few days ago, we stumbled across - quite possibly - the perfect spec Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Touring. The only one finished in black, in fact, and devoid of the in-your-face graphics, rear wing and roll cage that renders the rear seats completely useless. About as close as you could get to a sort of non-Project 8 XE SV, provided you can look past the hugely blistered arches, intricate carbon fibre detailing and a price tag almost certainly in the region of six figures hiding behind the listing’s POA. It really is sublime, but what if you could get just as much four-door supercharged V8 glory for around half the price?
This bonkers Vauxhall VXR8 GTS looks to be the answer. Like the Project 8, it’s packing a blown V8 with just five horses shy of 600hp, sounds like the dawn of the apocalypse and (even technically an Australian car powered by an American engine) wears the badge of a venerable British carmaker. And in some ways, the VXR8 GTS has the Project 8 beat, particularly the six-speed manual in place of the Jag’s eight-speed auto, an additional seat in the rear and the absence of pricey materials located in the firing line of lofty speed bumps. All, in the case of this 2015 car, for £45,990.
That was always the genius of the Brit-badged Aussie V8: to deliver giant-slaying performance (and thunderous noise) on a modest-ish budget. Yes, a pound short of £55,000 when new was far cheap, but as bang-for-buck performance goes few could touch the VXR8 GTS. A 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds was knocking on the door of supercars back in 2015, and would still give all-wheel-drive, turbocharged super hatchbacks with point-and-squirt launch control systems a run for their money today - all to the rumbly backing track of a 6.2-litre, Eaton supercharged LSA motor. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
Quite literally, in fact. The GTS would be Vauxhall’s penultimate VXR8, with the one-of-15 GTS-R, which added another 10hp into the mix, rounding out production in 2017. Not that the GTS is poles apart from the ultra-limited runout model, still featuring Magnetic Ride Control adaptive dampers and torque vectoring as standard. It also came with a trio of driving modes to adjust the severity of the traction and stability controls, as well as sharpen up the steering, and there’s even a screen that’ll show you - in degrees - your oversteer angle and how long you can keep the back hanging out. Perfection.
Most of your hard-earned went towards the extra grunt (the GTS had 160hp more than the base VXR8), the clever chassis tech and the drift angle display. The rest of it is wonderfully basic, with an interior that’s as lavish as a dentist’s waiting room. That said, Vauxhall (or was it Holden?) did at least cover the dash in Alcantara, and ‘HSV’ - a nod to its Australian origin - is embossed on the passenger side of the dash. It’s simple, yes, but you’ll be far too busy monitoring your oversteer angle to care.
Onto the car here, which is in an interesting spec - namely because it’s had all the badges removed. Not that it quietens down the shouty styling one bit, especially with that wing stuck on the boot. Anyway, it has covered just 28,650 miles over the last nine years, which is backed up by a tidy-looking interior and black wheels seemingly free of any kisses from the curb. True, a standard VXR8 like this 2008 car can be had for a fraction of the cost, but the GTS is faster, rarer and 100 per cent more supercharged. Worth the premium? The floor is yours.
SPECIFICATION | VAUXHALL VXR8 GTS
Engine: 6,162cc V8, supercharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 585@6,150rpm
Torque (lb ft): 546@3,850rpm
MPG: 18
CO2: 363g/km
Year registered: 2015
Recorded mileage: 28,650
Price new: £54,999
Yours for: £45,990
There are various reasons not to buy it at 46 grand, its a big old lump, will use fuel as fast as you can pump it in, the VED will be £700 odd quid, will burn through tyres in no time, its a bit lairy looking but it having a Griffin badge is low on the list for me.
But its got that V8, its RWD, makes lots of noise, has the best part of 600 bhp and a manual gearbox, plus its rare and pretty cool.
I find the Vauxhall hatred a bit strange for car enthusiasts, well when it extends past the mundane into the back catalog at least, where they did some pretty good stuff.
Pretty comfortable and a hilarious drive. If it had BMW badges on it, some people would be waxing lyrical. There are various reasons not to buy it at 46 grand, its a big old lump, will use fuel as fast as you can pump it in, the VED will be £700 odd quid, will burn through tyres in no time, its a bit lairy looking but it having a Griffin badge is low on the list for me.
But its got that V8, its RWD, makes lots of noise, has the best part of 600 bhp and a manual gearbox, plus its rare and pretty cool.
I find the Vauxhall hatred a bit strange for car enthusiasts, well when it extends past the mundane into the back catalogue at least, where they did some pretty good stuff.
Either way it's not my type of car at all but I'm glad it exists.
Either way it's not my type of car at all but I'm glad it exists.
Also: The M5 exists.
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