Vauxhall VX220
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vauxhall VX220 | |
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| Manufacturer | Lotus Cars |
| Parent company | Lotus Group |
| Production | 2000–2005 |
| Assembly |  Hethel, Norfolk, England, UK. |
| Class | Roadster |
| Layout | RMR layout |
| Engine(s) | Z22SE/Z20LET |
| Transmission(s) | Getrag F23 |
| Related | Lotus Elise |
| Designer | Niels Loeb and Martin Smith (Exterior) Steven Crijns (Interior)[1] |
The VX220 is a British-built mid engined, targa-topped, 2-seater sports car introduced in the summer of 2000.
It was built for Vauxhall Motors in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions at the Lotus Cars plant in Hethel, Norfolk, England. The left-hand drive version was badged the Opel Speedster
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[edit] Lotus connection
The VX220 was built alongside the Lotus Elise S2. Its design was based on the Elise chassis, modified to accept a GM engine in preference to the Rover K-series engine used by the Elise. It carried the internal model identification Lotus 116 and the code name Skipton for the 2.2N/A version and Tornado for the 2.0l Turbo.
The normally aspirated version used a Vauxhall Astra all aluminium alloy 2.2L Z22SE engine giving 147hp (110kW) in a car weighing 870 kg (1918 lb). The Turbo model, introduced in 2003, used a cast iron block 2.0 L Z20LET engine, producing 200 hp (149 kW) but weighing 930 kg (2050 lb). A final version, the track-oriented VXR220, based on the turbo model, was tuned to give around 220 hp (164 kW) and used 16 in (406 mm) front wheels that allowed the fitting smaller front tyres to give sharper handling.
The VX220 was originally designed by Lotus to have 16" front wheels and 17" rear wheels. Vauxhall decided to fit 17" wheels front and rear for aesthetic reasons. In turn this reduced the handling performance of the car.
The car was hailed by the motoring press as a great drivers' car and won several accolades, with the 2.2 NA (naturally aspirated) version being considered the easier drive of the two standard variants. Some journalists recommended that the Vauxhall car was better value for money than the Lotus (such as Jeremy Clarkson in his 2003 DVD Shoot Out).
Production ended in 2005, with no direct successor.
- The Vauxhall VX220 formed the cover for the Dreamcast game, Metropolis Street Racer and featured heavily in the games promotional material.
