Vauxhall Corsa VXR Styling Kit (UK)

Genetically modify your Corsa

Vauxhall’s highly acclaimed new Corsa hatchback looks great from any angle, but now thousands of customers who rushed out to buy one soon after launch can add extra flair and excitement inspired by the manufacturer’s VXR racing team.

The aftersales experts at Vauxhall have come up with a VXR styling kit that provides more than a flavour of the factory model, but will not break the bank. It’s available from Vauxhall retailers throughout the country now.

Made to fit both three and five door versions of the latest generation Corsa, the kit consists of a front lower spoiler, rear roof spoiler, side sills and rear lower skirt to recreate the dramatic styling cues of Vauxhall’s race-inspired range of high performance cars.

The full VXR styling kit can be supplied and fitted to match body colour for £1249. If your funds will not run to that, the rear roof spoiler can be supplied and fitted on its own for £269.

No car customising is complete without a set of stylish alloy wheels. A whole new range of Irmscher alloys specially designed for the new Corsa are available from Vauxhall retailers, with prices starting at £391 for a set of four 14 inch wheels.

Vauxhall Tigra Exclusiv Red Edition (UK)

• New Tigra Exclusiv Red edition from just £15,515

• Extras worth up to £1,350 for no additional cost

• Bold and striking red leather interior and unique alloy wheel finish

With spring just around the corner, every driver dreams of catching some rays in a stylish and dynamic drop top. Now there is a way to get the most Exclusiv roadster on the street at a surprisingly affordable price.

The new Tigra Exclusiv Red edition is based on the Sport model, but features an extra £1,350 worth of goodies for no additional cost.

Perhaps Tigra Exclusiv Red’s most distinct feature is the bold interior. The two seats and door trim inserts are trimmed in scarlet leather, and the red treatment is even mirrored in the gear lever surround. This is complemented with the usual classy fixtures you would expect from Tigra such as a leather covered steering wheel, alloy effect centre console and gear knob insert.

It’s not just the interior which gets the Exclusiv look. This special Tigra is available in three metallic or pearlescent colours, Metro Blue, Star Silver and Black Sapphire, each with the distinctive silver-finish targa roof bar. The Tigra Exclusiv Red also sits on uniquely-finished 17-inch alloy wheels.

As with all Tigras, it’s not just the sunny weather which makes the Exclusiv Red shine. The hard top roof raises up in just 20 seconds to make the car as snug and secure as a coupe, and the leather seats are heated to make open top driving even more comfortable during cooler months. If the sun gets too hot, then air conditioning is standard to make sure you can keep looking – and feeling – cool.

A choice of two petrol engines are available, a nippy 1.4-litre and a punchy 1.8-litre. Both are available now from Vauxhall retailers, with prices starting at £15,515.

Vauxhall VXR8: In Detail

Introduction

There was every reason to mourn the passing of the Monaro, but the Thunder from Down Under hasn't stopped yet.

What better to replace the 6.0-litre V8, rear-drive Aussie performance icon with than an all-new Antipodean muscle car. A car, in fact, just like the VXR8 a car even more powerful and exciting than the Monaro.

The dramatic-looking new saloon is powered by the same 6.0-litre V8 as the outgoing Monaro VXR, but revisions have made it even more efficient. It now develops a massive 417PS and 550Nm of torque, giving it enough grunt to sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds. No other supercar offers this sort of power for anywhere near the VXR8's bargain price of just 35,105 pounds.

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

Although practical, with a spacious boot, comfortable, long-legged cruising ability and luxuries such as climate control and leather trim, the VXR8 is certainly no softie. Driver aids such as the stability system 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 VXR model to be offered with an automatic gearbox, but that doesn't mean that VXR shifted to being dull. Performance figures are hardly affected, and the auto's fuel economy is actually better than the manual's.

Satellite navigation and 20-inch wheels are among the options for those who want to make their VXR8 look more distinctive and help find their way to the best driving roads. Even with all the option boxes ticked however, the VXR8 is still around half the price of other cars with comparable performance. As all fast car fans know, Aussie rules and here's why...

Opel Vectra Interior Spy Photos

All new dash

The fourth generation Opel Vectra displayed its first signs of life as the Opel GTC Concept at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, and we have been trailling its progress to production status throughout the year. Our spy photograpghers were in Sweden for the winter testing, in Death Valley for hot weather testing and, of course, in Germany. We even have caught the much anticipated car on video!

The interior has been kept under wraps by the Opel engineers, untill now that is. Earlier today we managed to snap a few pictures of the all new interior. In comparison to the current Vectra, the dashboard seems all new and manages to give the cockpit a sportier look in the process.

The Opel Vectra 4 (or Vauxhall Vectra in the UK and Saturn Aura in the USA) will feature all new exterior styling and will be pitted against the new Ford Mondeo and VW Passat. The engine range is expected to be expanded with a 2.7 liter V6 Turbodiesel (200 hp) and 2.8 liter V6, also new will be the option for all-wheel-drive.

When the Opel Vectra will take its first bow at a motor show is not exactly clear, but rumours are that the London Motor Show in July may get that honour, it would then debut as the Vauxhall Vectra. We have some doubts about that here in the WCF newsroom, our money is on a Geneva world premiere in March 2008.