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Weve the Germans to thank for the word Pferdestärke, a measurement of engine power roughly translated as horse strength. The Vauxhall Monaro VXR500 were looking at here has 500 horse strengths which, as you can imagine, is quite something to hitch your wagon to. In 1992, the Pferdestärke was rendered obsolete by EEC directives, when it was replaced by Kilowatt as the official power measuring unit. Nowadays, PS is more familiar but in dear old Blighty, we still like to refer to engine output in terms of bhp. In which case, should you be considering this Vauxhall, you need to know that youll be buying into exactly 493.15 braked horses.
If this is a throwback way of calculating this cars pulling power, then its strangely appropriate as the Monaro VXR500 itself has a touch of the throwback about it too.
Thats a good thing though. In this era of electrically assisted power steering, run-flat tyres, stability control systems that never switch off and a focus on emissions and fuel economy, above all else, the Monaro appears almost Neanderthal in its execution, a blunt implement bludgeoning through a chromed rack of scalpel-sharp precision tools. Consider this so-called progress for a moment though and ask yourself whether technical achievement has come at the expense of fun. The Monaro may not be hugely sophisticated but its hard to think of a car that serves up a bigger grin factor for your money.
And you wont need the bank balance of a Russian oligarch to buy one either. A BMW with comparable size and performance, the M5, will set you back around 64,000 before youve been tempted by the options list. By contrast, Vauxhall ask just 35,995 for the Monaro VXR500. Thats less than something like a Mercedes CLK350 and offers almost double the power and more than twice the sense of joyous irresponsibility.
Theres a refreshing lack of buttoned-down rectitude about this car. A relocated fuel tank means that boot space is down to 245 litres. This would be inexcusable in a Mercedes or a BMW because that would mean youd be sacrificing golf bag room. The closest most VXR500s will ever get to a golf course will be using the overflow car park for drifting practice.
"The supercharged VXR500 is a muscle car of the old school and all the better for it"
So whats changed over the standard Monaro VXR? Well, for a start, the VXR500 version isnt widely available, being a strictly limited run edition thats only sold in one UK dealership, Greens Vauxhall of Rainham, Kent. Power is lifted from 398bhp to 493 with the use of a supercharger, offering always-on, lag-free grunt. Torque rises from 530NM to a hefty 677Nm and the fuel system , engine tuning and clutch have all been uprated accordingly. The cabin is adorned with VXR black leather and Alcantara sport seats and while a bit lairy for the more conservative amongst you, they nevertheless grip you very well when you choose to put the Monaro through its paces.
A pair of extra engine indicators oil pressure and voltage indicator in the VXR instrument binnacle give a clue as to the cars intent. Externally, the Monaro VXR has been upgraded with a deeper front air dam, rear spoiler and side body skirts. If youve managed to miss all that, you cant fail to spot the enormous 19-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 245/35R19 tyres. The Monaro was originally developed on a tiny budget by Holden, an outpost of the General Motors empire that has achieved renown on the racetrack by shoehorning huge engines into merely large cars.
GM have continued their policy of offering interesting niche sports cars by bringing the Monaro to the UK and badging it as a Vauxhall, selling what they reckon will total about 300 cars through a number of specially appointed dealers. Initial takeup for both standard and VXR Monaro has been good, hence the introduction of this uprated VXR model. Should you disable the traction control, that amount of torque is easily enough to light the rear tyres up with only a gentle prod of the throttle from idle. Get a little more ambitious and youll find the steering nicely geared to catch big, lazy slides although youll need a lot of room preferably a runway or racetrack in order to pull this sort of move.
Everything about the Monaro reminds you of its hefty physicality. The clutch requires a hefty shove, as do the brakes and the gear lever as you guide it around the six-speed box. The shift has been finessed for the latest VXR but its still a physical thing. Believe it or not, but its a development of the box used by the Lotus Carlton! Sixth is massively high geared, which means that the Monaro can cruise at nearly 90mph with just 1,800rpm showing on the clock.