Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R 'will be firm's last V8'

Vauxhall has taken the wraps of a limited-edition version of its VXR8 four-door muscle car, which Autocar says will be "the brand’s last V8 model".

The GTS-R, which is based on the Australian Holden Commodore saloon, is powered by a 587bhp 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a "limited slip differential and a six-speed automatic gearbox", reports AutoExpress.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Vauxhall has added "new brakes with six-piston calipers", while retaining the previous version's torque vectoring system, which modulates the brakes when going around corners for better grip.

A tweaked engine computer system and "an improved air filter" has helped the VXR8 GTS-R become the "most powerful Vauxhall-badged car yet", according to Autocar.

However, as "the small-car-friendly PSA Group takes over the Vauxhall and Opel brands at the end of this year", the car is expected to be the company's last V8-engined producing model.

Future version could adopt "a highly-tuned four-cylinder engine" from Peugeot, which heads the PSA Group.

Only 15 examples of the GTS-R are set to reach the UK. Prices start at £74,500, although there's no word yet on delivery dates.