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There was every reason to mourn the passing of the Monaro, but theThunder from Down Under hasn’t stopped yet. What better to replace the6.0-litre V8, rear-drive Aussie performance icon with than an all-newAntipodean muscle car. A car, in fact, just like the VXR8 – a car evenmore powerful and exciting than the Monaro.

The dramatic-looking new saloon is powered by the same 6.0-litre V8 asthe outgoing Monaro VXR, but revisions have made it even moreefficient. It now develops a massive 417PS and 550Nm of torque, givingit enough grunt to sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds. No othersupercar offers this sort of power for anywhere near the VXR8’s bargainprice of just ￡35,105.

2008 Vauxhall VXR8



Yet the VXR8, based on the Australian Holden VE HSV Clubsport R8,offers more in the way of practicality than the Monaro, with four doorsand space for all the family.


Although practical, with a spacious boot, comfortable, long-leggedcruising ability and luxuries such as climate control and leather trim,the VXR8 is certainly no softie. Driver aids such as the stabilitysystem and traction control can be turned off at the flick of a switch– perfect for drivers who want to hone their skills on a track day!

In response to customer demand, the VXR8 will also be the first VXRmodel to be offered with an automatic gearbox, but that doesn’t meanthat VXR shifted to being dull. Performance figures are hardlyaffected, and the auto’s fuel economy is actually better than the manual’s.

Satellite navigation and 20-inch wheels are among the options for thosewho want to make their VXR8 look more distinctive and help find theirway to the best driving roads. Even with all the option boxes tickedhowever, the VXR8 is still around half the price of other
cars with comparable performance.
Exterior
When was the last time you saw an Australian bloke drinking a halfof lager? Never? That’s because the Aussies don’t do things by halves,and if you need proof, look no further than the VXR8.

2008 Vauxhall VXR8



Beefy, muscular and well-toned, the feisty four-door wouldn’t look out of place flexing its muscles among the beach crowd.
Based on the elegant yet unassuming looks of the latest VE-SeriesHolden Commodore, VXR8 takes the clean lines of a well-proportionedsaloon car and gives them a supercar touch.


Neat styling features include a butch-looking front spoiler with extramesh air intake, along with piercing round driving and foglamps set inunique, trapezoidal pods. Supercar-style cooling fins adorn the car’sflanks, while the wheelarches are flared outwards to give theappearance of stability and provide room for the huge tyres – 245/4019s at the front, or 275/35 19s at the rear.

If 19s are too weedy, 20-inch alloys developed by WalkinshawPerformance are available as an option at ￡2,500, along with aWalkinshaw developed exhaust system, which sounds even more brutal thanthe standard set-up and costs ￡950.
At the rear, VXR8 comes with a twin-post rear wing, quadrupleexhaust outlet pipes and unique ‘afterburner’ rear lights, whichinclude the latest LED technology to not only look stealthily cool, butalso offer greater safety by being faster to reach full brightness thanstandard bulbs.

Interior

Inside, VXR8 is just as special as it looks from the outside.Uniquely-tailored sports seats, complete with hand-stitched VXR8 logos,give the car a distinctive yet alluring look.

The cabin incorporates all of the switches and gadgets you’d expectfrom a sporting saloon, including automatic climate control, electricseat adjustment and a multi-function trip computer, complete with fullcolour display screen for infotainment and ventilation options.

2008 Vauxhall VXR8



But there are other features that mark the VXR8 out as trulyspecial. The flat-bottomed steering wheel, for example, is a featureshared with the highly-acclaimed Corsa VXR, while other sportingtouches include alloy-covered pedals, red backlit instruments and anadditional pod of dials incorporating oil temperature, oil pressure andbattery voltage measurements.

Bluetooth phone connectivity means you can keep mobile while on themove, while other convenience features include automatic lightingcontrol and speed-dependent windscreen wipers.

As well as offering a sense of occasion and comfort for up to fivepassengers, VXR8 is also big on protection, with six airbags, activehead restraints and three-point seatbelts for all passengers, front andrear.