Lightning Ready To Strike

While the Corvette was stealing the limelight, there was great news on another sports car that is coming to the UK. The Vauxhall VX Lightning has been given the green light at last!

Auto Express Car Reviews

08th January 2004

This is because General Motors unveiled a production version of the Pontiac Solstice at the Detroit Motor Show this week - and that means the Luton firm now has the platform it needs to build its VX220 replacement. To provide the underpinnings for both cars, GM was forced to develop an all-new chassis called Kappa, on which the company also based the Chevrolet Nomad and Saturn Curve concepts, which were unveiled at Detroit, too.

A Vauxhall insider confirmed: "This gives us the go-ahead for our edition of the Solstice." The car's aggressive styling is likely to fail strict safety tests, so a more pedestrian-friendly shape is expected when the VX Lightning goes on sale here next year.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.