VAUXHALL VXR8 GTS
One of the last of the Aussie-built V8 VXRS gets Jethro Bovingdon’s vote
SO MANY OF THE CARS WE LOVE HAVE AN honesty at their core. Be it a stripped-out hot hatch from Renault, a 911 with a criss-cross of metalwork instead of rear seats, or a lightweight sports car from Lotus or Alpine. Just looking at them is enough to understand their intent, and should they deliver it successfully there’s a good chance we’ll fall under their spell. We’re putty in their hands.
On the face of it the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS operates within this niche… the difference being that instead of promising purity and pin-sharp dynamics it screams big, silly oversteer, burnouts and thunderous noise. All of which it can deliver and when it does so you’ll love it. However, what’s really cool is how it can surprise. It has balance and poise, it embraces technology to enhance the booming frontengine/rear-drive V8 formula, and it lopes effortlessly across vast distances. The GTS
– and indeed the earlier, non-supercharged VXR8S – may appear to be a supersaloon cartoon character, but after a while you realise it’s the hidden depths that really define it.
They are very well hidden initially, however. The interior might be described as ‘challenging’ by people who tend to ‘move forward’ in a mid-level E-class or 5-series in a fetching shade of grey. Yes, it’s a bit crappy. The 6.2-litre V8 starts with a subdued but unmistakably powerful woofle. There’s no digitised flare of revs, Amg-style. Just honest, big-cube depth and bass. Maybe the plastics aren’t so bad.
This rebadged Holden is cleverer than it looks, too. The magnetorheological dampers and long wheelbase provide an innate sense of composure, the steering is nicely weighted, and despite the sheer size of the car it seems oddly agile. Select Performance mode and the torque vectoring is activated and the ride becomes sharper-edged. It’s nothing like as locked-down in feel as one of its German competitors in their sharpest settings, but there’s a definite ramping up of body control. Yet because it’s still fluid and supple there’s absolutely tons of traction and a natural feel to the way it eases along even the craggiest B-road.
At first, the way the VXR8 makes big performance so easy to access might seem disappointing. Oversteer? Well, you can make it slide but its natural stance isn’t slow in, even slower out with smoke billowing from the rear tyres. In fact, it’s a neat and tidy car but with an ever-present sense that the rear tread blocks are being squeezed into the road and clinging on for dear life on corner exit. And there’s real satisfaction to be had balancing this monstrous car right on the edge.
However, the real magic here is that you don’t need to be going hard to enjoy the super-vauxhall. The V8 is rich with torque and character, the hefty six-speed manual is clunky at times but lovable, and the VXR8 is a simply brilliant GT car. Few stride so far so easily. Oh, and did I mention it handles pretty extreme track work without complaining loudly? The VXR8 GTS does everything. Just be sure to feed it. Boy, does it need a lot of feeding…
‘YOU SOON REALISE IT’S THE HIDDEN DEPTHS THAT DEFINE IT’