It has to be one of the most speculated about cars ever. The Turbocharged
version of the VX220 is to finally make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in
March.
The Continental version - badged as the Opel Speedster Turbo - will be on the
GM stand in its full glory, playing host to a 200bhp 2.0 litre ECOTEC engine.
That unit is capable of 184 ft-lbs of torque at just 1950 rpm which should make
it a very rapid car particularly when it only weighs 930 kilos.
62mph can be reached in just 4.9 seconds and it will power on to a shade
under 150mph.
Under the covers, the development team also fine tuned the suspension for the
Turbo, whilst the visible differences include new front and rear spoilers and
modified side ducts for additional cooling.
Lotus may build the VX220 for General Motors, but they'll still want to sell
plenty of their own product. The XV220 Turbo will increase the need for Lotus to
up their game as there is finally a good reason to buy the VX over the
comparable but prettier Elise. Rumours persist of a tie up with Toyota with
either a 200bhp four pot or even a V6.
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