Nice !

What is it? - that link doesn't work.

Yes, very. Just read that in the magazine. They had one on show at the NEC too. Hopefully by the time they are released the lease on my current boring vehicle will be due!

Dan

"Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 TT Diesel

Petrol fans are in for a shock, because the world of performance cars is evolving. In secret workshops across Europe, the planet's biggest motor manufacturers are putting the finishing touches to a new breed of diesel-powered supercars.

What's more, the early results are so promising, company bosses are confident that traditionalists can be brought round to embracing oil-burning in the pursuit of driving pleasure. Petrol is fast becoming yesterday's news!

This high-performance Vauxhall Vectra Twin Turbo concept, or TT for short, is the first hard evidence of this mysterious development - and Auto Express was first and exclusively behind the wheel to find out what it was like. On paper, the 1.9 Twin Turbo Diesel is very impressive. Delivering 212bhp (112bhp per litre) and a staggering 400Nm of torque, Vauxhall claims that this is the most powerful 1.9-litre diesel ever built.

Maximum output is produced from a lowly 1,400rpm, thanks to the engine's twin-turbo design. Yet despite this, the car will still return 47mpg, and meets stringent Euro IV emissions legislation. The key to this amazing combination of thrust and frugality is the use of sequential turbocharging.

Employing two different size turbochargers also eliminates turbo lag, making the power delivery smoother. The smaller turbo is in use up to 1,800rpm, then both blowers are on line between 1,800 and 3,000rpm, with the larger unit on its own above 3,000rpm. Auto Express put the Vectra TT through its paces at Vauxhall sister firm Opel's secret proving ground in Germany. The car certainly looks the part - although the lurid blue interior wasn't exactly to our taste, the chunky bodykit and stylish 19-inch alloys certainly were.

There's the familiar diesel clatter at idle, but this engine doesn't feel anything like a conventional oil-burning unit. Floor the accelerator from low revs and the power flows very evenly. In fact, the stream of power is so constant - and the familiar turbo kick so obviously absent - that the Vectra's performance feels deceptively mild.

It's hard to gauge real-world pace without other cars to measure your progress against, but Vauxhall says the Vectra can hit 62mph from rest in only 6.5 seconds. Engineers say the powerplant will be happy at high revs, too. A favourite trick of the development team during autobahn testing was to cruise along at 70mph, then floor the throttle.

They claim that Porsche Boxsters and powerful Mercedes S-Class models couldn't keep up with the Vectra TT's searing pace. Unfortunately, this prototype lacked the final VXR sports suspension package. With only firmer springs and dampers fitted, it wasn't possible to give a definitive verdict on the car's handling potential.

However, the front-drive chassis handled the high torque levels well, and only under hard acceleration did the nose get a little light. But the big question is: will we get the car? A spokesman for Vauxhall's high-performance VXR brand told us: "We're discussing the project at the moment. We could go ahead with this 400Nm engine, or wait for a redesigned gearbox, which could then make use of the motor's full 450Nm potential." Either way, it looks as though UK diesel fans are in for a real treat. Hilton Holloway "

Its

A) A Vauxhall B) A Vectra C) A Diesel

I don't.

It's a special car for Lordy.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@WithThanks.com spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

Oh the Ecospeedster.

I'd rather have the diesel VX220, or Opel Speedster, that concept car that did 111mpg @ 150mph or something stupid.

Peter

afaik it wasnt 111mpg @ 150mph, it was one or the other, and as for the vectra, I saw it at the NEC, very subtle looking but I'd have one if I was in the position to afford one, Im telling everyone here that diesel is to take over, even in formula one, lower fuel weight speaks for itself....

Nom raved thus:

::

In article , theo*+*@*+*letsblowitup*.*com spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

I don't doubt it. Do you remember it was me who posed the question about building a superturbo V8 Diesel supercar?

vaguely :)

Careful, otherwise when it happens, AstraVanTheMan'll claim that one for himself too!

(c:

Douglas

In article , snipped-for-privacy@cheerful.com spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

Nope, it was a week after the petrol versus diesel debate, and is in googles history of everything database now.

Plan was a nice light smallish two seater chassis somewhere between a lotus elise and a ferrari, with a big US Diesel V8 like they use in the greyhound buses and monster trucks, with a supercharger (to get things gunning) and turbo (when it is nicely spun up) mid mounted in a nice spaceframe layout.

Heh, I bet that baby'd pull like a bastard right up to the 3000rpm redline.

Douglas

LOL - still ain't got me cheque from Ford over the Mondy ST TDCI - thieving gits :-)

Peter

Hay boyee sounds like a Masserati birdcage, mind that spanker had overstere problams. Hay I donnt think tha chasee could cope with the tork steer on a dezel of that size.

Hehe yeah, meanwhile my supercharged and turbo charged V8 petrol would be a gear lower leaving him in the dust :-)

spouted

LOL, you are probably right but err, umm, the Diesel would use less fuel. And not need spark plugs.

Douglas

And if the diesel could somehow just get infront for an instant at the beginning, it would blind the petrol driver with a huge black cloud!