Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition blows in

Nobody could ever accuse the Vauxhall VXR8 (the Holden by another name) of being underpowered. Its barn-storming performance and bargain price tag have made the VXR8 a worthy successor to the Lotus Carlton. Relatively simple mechanics and a great driving car, there really is nothing else like it on the roads in the UK.

But Vauxhall has decided that it’s time to give the VXR8 more power (which will probably upset the Aussies, as the Holden doesn’t have a regular edition with this sort of power), and has announced the VXR8 Bathurst Edition.

Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition - The S version gets 560bhp

As if a mere 431 horses in the standard edition wasn’t enough, the LS3 V8 engine in the Bathurst S gets a Walkinshaw Performance 122 Supercharger which pushes the power up to 560bhp. Thankfully it’s not just a bolt-on supercharger, but gets a raft of upgrades to help harness the power. The suspension gets tweaked with stiffer, adjustable shocks (independently adjustable at each corner), and 6-pot front and 4-pot rear brake callipers keep things under control.

A high-capacity intercooler, high-flow injectors, new ECU map and a beefed-up clutch make sure that all the extra power (which is actually 30% up on the non-blown version ) doesn’t pull the Bathurst apart, and makes this a proper supercar saloon, not just a cheap power boost.

The car gets the usual special edition logos inside and out (both Bathurst and Walkinshaw versions), and as a bit of a party trick (unless you do go to the track) there is a Bi-Modal exhaust (£1600 option) which, at the flick of a switch, can yield an extra 10bhp and emit a deafening (and illegal!) 102dba. Methinks it may be tempting to let rip with that little toy away from the track!

The standard Bathurst (which gets the treatment minus the supercharger) comes in at £37,995, whilst the full-fat version, the Bathurst S, costs £44,995.

As our Colonial cousins would say, a lot of bang for your buck.

By Cars UK