Vauxhall VX220
Encyclopedia
The Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 is a British
-built mid engined, targa-topped
, 2-seater sports car
introduced in the summer of 2000.
It was built in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions at the Lotus Cars
plant in Hethel, Norfolk
, England
. It was sold as the Vauxhall
VX220 in the UK, and as the Opel Speedster in the rest of Europe. It was branded the Daewoo Speedster in the Asian market, in both right and left hand drive.
The car has a lot in common with the Lotus Elise
, yet Opel/Vauxhall claims few parts are interchangeable. Both cars are characterized by strong performance and superb handling.
Series1 was unable to be produced beyond the 2000 model production year due to new European regulations around crash sustainability, and so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement.
The Lotus Elise
S2/Vauxhall VX220 design was based on the Elise chassis, modified to accept a General Motors
engine in preference to the Rover
K-series
engine used by the Elise.
factory, the VX220 carried the Lotus internal model identification Lotus 116 and the code name Skipton for the 2.2N/A version and Tornado for the 2.0 L Turbo.
The chassis utilizes an aluminium chassis tub that weighs only 150 lb (68 kg). The car also features bodywork which is made entirely of glass-reinforced plastic
(GRP). The entire car weighs in at only 2050 lb (930 kg), much lighter than most small sports cars.
The normally aspirated version used a Opel Astra
all aluminium alloy 2.2 L Z22SE engine giving 108 kW in a car weighing 870 kg (1,918 lb) — originally designed for Opel/Vauxhall by Lotus, it arguably gives the VX220 more mechanical Lotus content than the Elise. The Turbo model, introduced in 2003, used an Opel designed cast iron block 2.0 L Z20LET engine, producing 147 kW but weighing 930 kg (2,050 lb).
The Elise S2 was designed by Lotus to have 16" front wheels and 17" rear wheels. Opel/Vauxhall decided to fit 17" wheels front and rear to the VX220/Speedster for aesthetic reasons, which reduced the handling performance of the car.
A removable hard-top can be fitted as a factory or aftermarket option, providing - arguably - better looks and aerodynamics.
The car was hailed by the motoring press as a great drivers' car and won several accolades, including Top Gear's car of the year in 2003. The 2.2 NA (naturally aspirated) version was considered the easier drive of the two standard variants, and 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).
Speedsters were displayed with the Daewoo
badge, although only one was built to be used for marketing purposes. A final version, the track-oriented VXR220, based on the turbo model, was tuned to give around 220 hp and used 16 in (406 mm) front wheels that allowed the fitting of smaller front tyres to give sharper handling.
Production ended in 2005, with no direct successor.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-built mid engined, targa-topped
Targa top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
, 2-seater sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
introduced in the summer of 2000.
It was built in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions at the Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
plant in Hethel, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was sold as the Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
VX220 in the UK, and as the Opel Speedster in the rest of Europe. It was branded the Daewoo Speedster in the Asian market, in both right and left hand drive.
The car has a lot in common with the Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise
The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed . Because of its relatively low weight, it was able to accelerate 0- in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of...
, yet Opel/Vauxhall claims few parts are interchangeable. Both cars are characterized by strong performance and superb handling.
Joint Lotus development
The already developed Lotus EliseLotus Elise
The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed . Because of its relatively low weight, it was able to accelerate 0- in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of...
Series1 was unable to be produced beyond the 2000 model production year due to new European regulations around crash sustainability, and so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement.
The Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise
The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed . Because of its relatively low weight, it was able to accelerate 0- in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of...
S2/Vauxhall VX220 design was based on the Elise chassis, modified to accept a General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
engine in preference to the Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
K-series
Rover K engine
The K-Series engine is a series of engines built by Powertrain Ltd, a sister company of MG Rover. The engine was built in two forms: a straight-four cylinder, available with SOHC and DOHC, ranging from 1.1 L to 1.8 L; and the KV6 V6 variation....
engine used by the Elise.
Design
Produced by Lotus at their Hethel, NorfolkHethel
Hethel is a small village in Norfolk, England, near the historic market town of Wymondham, and approximately 10 miles south of the city of Norwich....
factory, the VX220 carried the Lotus internal model identification Lotus 116 and the code name Skipton for the 2.2N/A version and Tornado for the 2.0 L Turbo.
The chassis utilizes an aluminium chassis tub that weighs only 150 lb (68 kg). The car also features bodywork which is made entirely of glass-reinforced plastic
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
(GRP). The entire car weighs in at only 2050 lb (930 kg), much lighter than most small sports cars.
The normally aspirated version used a Opel Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
all aluminium alloy 2.2 L Z22SE engine giving 108 kW in a car weighing 870 kg (1,918 lb) — originally designed for Opel/Vauxhall by Lotus, it arguably gives the VX220 more mechanical Lotus content than the Elise. The Turbo model, introduced in 2003, used an Opel designed cast iron block 2.0 L Z20LET engine, producing 147 kW but weighing 930 kg (2,050 lb).
The Elise S2 was designed by Lotus to have 16" front wheels and 17" rear wheels. Opel/Vauxhall decided to fit 17" wheels front and rear to the VX220/Speedster for aesthetic reasons, which reduced the handling performance of the car.
A removable hard-top can be fitted as a factory or aftermarket option, providing - arguably - better looks and aerodynamics.
Production
With its low weight, mid-mounted engine, high torsional rigidity, and ample horsepower, the car is extremely quick and agile. Thanks in part to the car's light weight, the turbo version was able to reach a top speed of 242 km/h (150.4 mph) and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 4.9 seconds. The base price was around €32,000 for the 2.2 and €36,000 for the turbocharged version.The car was hailed by the motoring press as a great drivers' car and won several accolades, including Top Gear's car of the year in 2003. The 2.2 NA (naturally aspirated) version was considered the easier drive of the two standard variants, and some journalists recommended that the Vauxhall car was better value for money than the Lotus (such as Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
in his 2003 DVD Shoot Out).
Speedsters were displayed with the Daewoo
Daewoo
Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...
badge, although only one was built to be used for marketing purposes. A final version, the track-oriented VXR220, based on the turbo model, was tuned to give around 220 hp and used 16 in (406 mm) front wheels that allowed the fitting of smaller front tyres to give sharper handling.
Production ended in 2005, with no direct successor.