Vauxhall gallery

Vauxhall is one of many brands to exploit the twists and turns of the Nürburgring to develop its cars to the fullest. Keen to hammer home this point to hot hatch fans, this new special edition Astra VXR features bespoke tyres, a Remus sports exhaust and handling honed on the legendary track.

Another fruitful venture with Lotus, the VX220 shared a great deal with the sporty Elise and was built alongside it in the factory at Hethel, Norfolk. The four-year production run began in 2001, with the sweet-handling roadster working wonders for Vauxhall’s less-than-dynamic image.

The Cavalier-based Calibra proved to be very successful on the racetrack. Running as an Opel in the DTM championship, the V6 all-wheel-drive racing Calibra took the spoils in the 1996 season, with factory driver Manuel Reuter at the wheel. The German would later set the hot hatch lap record around the infamous Nürburgring in a Corsa VXR.

The Lotus Carlton, codenamed project 104, was born when complete German-built Carlton GSis were shipped to Lotus’ Norfolk HQ. There they were stripped and rebuilt, leaving the factory with 377bhp and the potential to hit 180mph. Back in 1990, the £48,000 asking price was equally staggering.

Debuting in 1988, the mk2 Astra was the most powerful car to wear the GTE badge. Its 2.0-litre engine produced 156bhp, which combined with its low 915kg weight and tuned chassis made it an instant hit with budget-conscious
performance car fans.

In 1979, work began on developing the Manta into a world-beating rally car. Despite not quite achieving the expected levels of success, it did give performance fans a hot road-going version. The 400, co-developed by Cosworth and German tuner Irmscher and proved very popular, still retaining a cult following today.

Aimed squarely at knocking the Ford Escort of its perch in the world of rallying, the Chevette HSR sported a 2.2-litre engine, which fed 240bhp to the car’s rear wheels. Before the all-conquering Audi quattro appeared, the HSR gained success in the hands of British stars Russell Brookes and Jimmy McRae.

Deciding that its image needed a boost, Vauxhall unleashed the Firenza Droopsnoot in 1971. To avoid an internal ruling that disallowed direct factory support for racing, the racing Firenza was a product of Dealer Team Vauxhall. In the hands of Gerry Marshall, it proved successful too, establishing the brand as a front-runner in saloon car racing for the rest of the decade.