2000 Vauxhall VX220/Turbo

From a mainstream company like Vauxhall, the VX220 was something of a shock. For this was an out-and-out, very raw sportscar, a Lotus Elise Series 2 sporting a different Vauxhall (and Opel) body. Built by Lotus, the Targa-topped road racer was launched in 2000 with a mid-mounted Vauxhall Astra 2196cc all-alloy engine of 145bhp, followed in 2003 by a 1998cc turbocharged model, with 197bhp. This would have given any car blistering performance, but in such a lightweight machine as the VX220, acceleration was an incredible 4.9 seconds for the 0-60 dash, with a 151mph top speed.

info from Octane