The Opel Speedster was presented as a concept car at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show and went into production in March 2000. It was born out of a partnership between General Motors and Lotus and was mechanically linked to the new Lotus Elise of the time. There were major differences between the two, however, notably the engine, and the automotive press of the time described the Speedster as an excellent driver’s car. Jeremy Clarkson even said it was better value for money than the Lotus.
Despite the positive feedback, the Speedster remained an exotic product of which only around 7,200 were produced between 2000 and 2005. It was sold with an Opel badge in Europe, as well as under the nickname Vauxhall VX220 in the UK and the Daewoo Speedster in other markets. Now one of the relatively few examples still on the road is here to show us what it is capable of.
It is important to note that this is not a stock car. In its factory form, the Speedster was available with a naturally aspirated 2.2-liter gasoline engine with 145 horsepower (108 kilowatts) or a more powerful 2.0-liter turbo with 200 hp (149 kW). With a weight of only 1,929 pounds (875 kilograms) in NA form and 2,050 pounds (930 kg) with the turbocharged engine, it had decent performance.
Corn decent performance was probably not what the owner of this particular car wanted and the car’s 2.2-liter engine received a supercharger. It helped the four-cylinder unit produce around 250 hp (186 kW) and achieve a top speed of 141 miles per hour (227 kilometers per hour) on the German Autobahn. What’s even more interesting, due to the car’s poor sound insulation, the compressor whine is very noticeable inside the cabin and it is certainly a very charming sound.
The Opel Speedster was presented as a concept car at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show and went into production in March 2000. It was born out of a partnership between General Motors and Lotus and was mechanically linked to the new Lotus Elise of the time. There were major differences between the two, however, notably the engine, and the automotive press of the time described the Speedster as an excellent driver’s car. Jeremy Clarkson even said it was better value for money than the Lotus.
Despite the positive feedback, the Speedster remained an exotic product of which only around 7,200 were produced between 2000 and 2005. It was sold with an Opel badge in Europe, as well as under the nickname Vauxhall VX220 in the UK and the Daewoo Speedster in other markets. Now one of the relatively few examples still on the road is here to show us what it is capable of.
It is important to note that this is not a stock car. In its factory form, the Speedster was available with a naturally aspirated 2.2-liter gasoline engine with 145 horsepower (108 kilowatts) or a more powerful 2.0-liter turbo with 200 hp (149 kW). With a weight of only 1,929 pounds (875 kilograms) in NA form and 2,050 pounds (930 kg) with the turbocharged engine, it had decent performance.
Corn decent performance was probably not what the owner of this particular car wanted and the car’s 2.2-liter engine received a supercharger. It helped the four-cylinder unit produce around 250 hp (186 kW) and achieve a top speed of 141 miles per hour (227 kilometers per hour) on the German Autobahn. What’s even more interesting, due to the car’s poor sound insulation, the compressor whine is very noticeable inside the cabin and it is certainly a very charming sound.