Last month we told you about 15 very special Aussie HSV GTSR beasts that were bound for the UK and set to be rebadged as Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-Rs. Well, they’ve arrived… and they look a bit strange wearing British number plates.
“They’re finally here,” Vauxhall proclaimed in a press release alerting media to a stack of fresh hi-res images of its newly-arrived VXR8 GTS-R.
A damn sight better looking than the sole, low-res image of a Spitfire Green VXR8 GTS-R attached to Vauxhall’s original press release, the new images (which you can see all of here) show a Slipstream Blue car looking tough as guts with 20-inch forged alloy wheels, carbon-fibre fender vents, and a carbon-fibre rear spoiler upper plane.
‘Our’ GTSR’s Alcantara and leather ‘Podium’ seats appear to have successfully made the journey over to England, but, by the looks of the new images, the Vauxhall’s previously spruiked inclusion of an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever has not materialised.
Mirroring Australia’s HSV GTSR, the “Final Edition” VXR8 GTS-R is powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8, churning out 435kW of power at 6150rpm and 740Nm of torque at 3850rpm.
If you’re as keen as we are to see what the Brits think of one of this country’s most powerful-ever models, you’ll have to wait a little while longer, with Vauxhall noting, “Our press car won’t be available for evaluation until next month.” Boo.
Priced from $109,490 (before on-road costs) here in Oz, the 15 Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-Rs are attached to an “on-the-road price” of £74,500 ($129,000) – suffer in your jocks.
Click on the Photos tab for the full gallery of images of the 2017 Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R.
Tell us what you think
If England gets to score 15 of our last-ever rear-wheel-drive V8-powered muscle cars, should we get something in return? What Vauxhall or VXR model would you like to see sold locally? Let us know in the comments below.
MORE: Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R: 15 Aussie HSV GTSRs rebadged for UK
MORE: 2017 HSV GTSR W1 review
MORE: ‘Behind the Beast’ – what makes the GTSR W1 so special?
MORE: 2017 HSV GTSR W1 – company boss justifies $170k LS9-powered monster
MORE: HSV news, reviews, videos, pricing and specifications
