• Engine power and suspension
upgrade for 2007 Vectra VXR
• Limited-edition supercharged Monaro VXR hits magic
500PS mark
Vectra and Monaro VXR models are already
some of the most powerful cars on the road, but that hasn’t
stopped Vauxhall giving them even more grunt.
New 2007 model year versions of the Vectra VXR have had
the power boosted from 255PS to 280PS, thanks to a redesigned
induction system, modified engine components and retuned
electronic engine control software. These revisions to
the 2.8-litre V6 turbo engine knock four-tenths of a second
off the 0-60mph sprint time, taking it down to just 6.1
seconds for the hatchback and 6.3 seconds for the estate.
To match the engine’s extra power,
Vauxhall’s engineers have also tweaked the chassis
to give more dynamic handling. Modified spring and shock
absorber settings and correspondingly retuned IDSPlus2
chassis control software is said to optimise the pitch,
roll and turn-in characteristics to make the most of the
increased performance without ruining the Vectra VXR’s
impressive refinement. The difference between the normal
chassis setting and the Sport setting, which is activated
by the dashboard-mounted Sport Switch, has been further
increased too, making sure that the Vectra’s handling
can cope with the most enthusiastic driver’s demands.
Meanwhile the Vectra’s big brother
has had an even more dramatic power boost, thanks to a
supercharger.
The limited-edition VXR500 is based on
the standard 6.0-litre Monaro VXR, but uses forced induction
to take the power from 403 to 500PS and torque up from
530Nm to a massive 677Nm. In addition to the positive
displacement supercharger, the conversion also includes
an upgraded fuel system, clutch revisions and bespoke
engine tune.
It’s expected that the VXR500 will
have a sub five second 0-60 time and a top speed in excess
of 180mph, and yet it is surprisingly relaxing to drive,
as most of the torque is available low down in the engine’s
rev range.
This limited edition model is available
for only £35,995 on-the-road. That’s less
than half the price of any other coupe with 500bhp!
