Autoblog

Click either image for a high-res gallery of the Vauxhall VXR8.

Our friends across the pond finally get to enjoy the new LS3 that's currently powering the Pontiac G8 GXP and Holden Commodore HSV, with the revised Vauxhall VXR8. The upgraded V8 has grown from 5,967 cc to 6,162 cc and is producing 425 hp at 6,000 rpm. Coupled with the revised automatic gearbox, 0-60 times drop to 4.9 seconds (from five), and the run from 80 to 100 mph is reduced from 4.3 seconds to four seconds flat. Fuel economy remains the same as the outgoing LS2 and automatic-equipped models now get a transmission cooler standard. The new VXR8 is currently on sale in the UK for £35,695, an extra £485 over the outgoing model.

Hit the jump for the full press release.


[Source: Vauxhall]

Click image for a gallery of the CSV CR8

The Middle East is a key export market for GM's Holden division, as LHD versions of the Commodore, Caprice, and Statesman sedans are sold there under the Chevrolet Lumina and Caprice nameplates. Until now, the highest-performance vehicle exported to the region was the Lumina SS, a rebadged Commodore SS. Holden's performance arm, HSV, remained exclusive to Australia/New Zealand and the UK market, where the HSV Clubsport R8 is sold as the slightly more powerful Vauxhall VXR8.

That's now changed, with Holden and HSV getting together to send the heavy performance artillery to the Middle East. HSV essentially spins off CSV, Chevrolet Special Vehicles, which will market HSV exports in the region. The first vehicle is the CSV CR8, again a rebadged version of the HSV Clubsport R8, but this time sporting left-hand-drive. The placement of the steering wheel and the Bowtie badging are essentially the extent of the changes. The car, like its HSV and VXR counterparts, has a 6.0L LS2 underhood. In this guise, it's dishing out 411 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque.

So, why do we care about this? Well, until now, HSV cars were only sold in RHD markets. The appearance of the high-performance HSV Clubsport R8 / CSV CR8 in a LHD configuration is most welcome, as we feel that it's the clearest signal yet that the widely-expected Pontiac G8 GXP is another step closer to reality. That's reason to be excited, don't you think?

[Source: GM]

Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear crew aren't the only car show on British television. In fact Top Gear was canceled by the BBC and the producers relaunched it as Fifth Gear before the Beeb eventually revived Top Gear as well. Fifth Gear is still around and they recently got a chance to spend some quality time on a race track with the Vauxhall VXR8.

If that car looks familiar, it's because we saw a lower-end version sporting a Pontiac grille at the Chicago Auto Show as the new G8. Fifth Gear spent a lot of time getting seriously sideways in the 414hp VXR8 and even got to do a top speed run. For a preview of what G8 buyers can expect whenever GM gets around to doing the all-but-inevitable GXP version, check out the video after the jump.

[Sources: YouTube, Fifth Gear]