Vauxhall Monaro

As with the standard car, the VXR Monaro is a true Australian brute, with a lazy V8 engine and a classic rear-wheel-drive layout. While the styling changes give it a more aggressive look, the performance and handling improvements are not huge. So while it is unique, the £6,945 price premium makes this car seem a little expensive.

While the VXR220 shows what can be done to spice up a nimble, lightweight yet powerful sports car, Vauxhall's second new VXR model represents the other end of the scale - a massive-engined, heavyweight muscle machine.

The VXR version of the Australian-built Monaro retains the standard model's Chevrolet Corvette-sourced 5.6-litre V8 powerplant, but has been tuned by Vauxhall's Aussie cousin, Holden, to give even more brutal performance. The firm's Special Vehicles department has added revised air inlets and a sports exhaust to push out an extra 58bhp, delivering a healthy 382bhp in total - making this the most powerful production Vauxhall ever built.

Yet while you notice a little more urge when behind the wheel, the big V8 retains the lazy, slow-revving nature of the standard car. With acres of torque, in-gear performance is impressive, and power builds from as low as 2,000rpm.

That means there's little need to be rushing changes through the heavy gearbox, or exploiting the outer edges of the rev range - even though the throaty soundtrack provided by the free-flowing exhaust pipes tends to encourage you to hold each ratio a little longer than necessary!

Inside, the VXR gets leather and Alcantara sports seats, as well as an oil pressure gauge and voltage indicator in a dash-mounted pod. Externally, side skirts, a front airdam and large rear spoiler distinguish the VXR from the standard version. In addition, 19-inch gunmetal alloys should ensure it looks butch enough next to a BMW M3.

Sticky Pirelli rubber and stiffened springs aim to give sharper handling, but the old Omega-derived chassis still judders and twists over rough surfaces. And despite a faster steering rack, the Monaro's weight means it's not the sharpest coup� around. For those who have the skill and a test track at their disposal, wild, tyre-smoking oversteer is available on demand, though.

But be careful, because this special Monaro will be more exclusive than an exotic Italian supercar. The VXR is a marketing ploy designed to launch the brand, and only 50 will be sold this year. It will be the Astra and Vectra VXR versions that will grab all the sales next year, and from our sample of this spicy duo, we think they'll be tasty.