Death by... Vectra?!

[LiCkWiD]

I had half an hour to kill last night, while waiting for Hollie to finish faffing about in her room. So I went to get a paper and some milk.. naturally I picked a shop all the way across town, so I'd get to drive for a bit longer

My route took me along Clacton seafront.. 2ish miles, give or take, of well-paved and usually quiet road. Perfect place to squeeze off some petrol in a blaze of turbocharged, compressed air and Tesco99. Was doing a cool 45ish when I noticed a set of headlights round the corner behind me.. about 200-300 metres away at this point. Looks vaguely Vauxhall.. after supressing my gag-relfex I noticed the car gaining upon me at tremendous pace!

The car tore past me at what appeared to be 100+ MPH! Not unremarkable for modern cars, but what was unusual was the fact he attained this speed in literally 200 metres odd. I popped it into 4th and squeezed the trigger; turbo came on boost and I was quickly doing 60ish. I didn't want to get too eager because the police are known to camp out on the side-roads waiting unaware Corsa drivers. I gave up pursuit quickly, but the Vectra just seemed to keep on pulling.

As I settled back into 6th at about 40MPH, I saw his tail-lights brake and the car turn a left as he reached the end of the road. He managed this in a shockingly short time! I arrived at my destination, the Great Holland newsagent and lo and behold! there sat the Vectra.. in all its silver glory. So low you couldn't roll a golf-ball under it and humming like a Harrier. Just wish I'd gotten the chance to ask two questions to him

What the hell is under that bonnet?!

and two..

Can I have a go?

What the hell could he of been driving?! Any clues? Is this the fabled LET thingy engie I've heard talk off? Some kinda 3.2 Turbo?! Enlighten me! I was in awe!!!!

 

[slick]

Sounds like the Courtney Turbo conversion i've heard word about... yeah its all great he can do that, but the cost to make it do that, was proberly twice as much as the car. Put half the amount that he put into it and your have a fire breathing 350bhp monster in your hands....
But the last word is... he owns a vauxhall and well no matter how much power you put on it, it will still be a vauxhall, and for that point all that power still wouldnt impress me! lol

 

[panholio]

Probably a VXR - 280bhp odd.

 

[DIFT]

New or Old?

The new ones have a 2.5 turbo, with 280 ish BHP as Standard.

 

[LiCkWiD]

Older.. not the VRX variant of the new Vectra.

It was of the oldier GSi/SRi/CD variety. If you're with me?

Hmm.. I've heard of the Courtney Conversion.

Thing is, for the most part.. the exterior was standard.. it seemed to be rocking the GSi trip.. with the slits on the sides of the front bumper. Know the one?

I just wish it'd of been a Mondeo

 

[Dodson]

You said it was sat 'humming'....must have been a V6....bloke just driving it properly.

 

[RobM]

Was it a current shape Vectra or the previous, more curved shape?

If new, it could have been the VXR.

If older, there are SO many throtle body / supercharger / turbo conversions around that it could have been anything really.

edit - too slow typing, two more replies crop up.....

 

[RobM]

You said it was sat 'humming'....must have been a V6....bloke just driving it properly.

The 2.5 V6 Sri wont beat a LC with that much ease. But the humming might have been the throttle body conversion thats around for them. There is one around my neck of the woods that sounds gorgeous and goes like stink!

 

[LiCkWiD]

Hehehe RobM Nah, definitely not a VXR. It was the older shape.

It didn't seem to have a growly-humm.. like that of a 6 cylinder engine. More a low, very low almost... 300ZX note. If you've ever heard a good example. Very rumbly.

 

[RobM]

I know what you mean. The V6 itself isn't quite that rumbly, but with a nice exhaust or something that can easily be changed.

 

[Kris]

TUT TUT... Its a 30mph limit on that road

I think I know the Vectra you are talking about. It has blown me away before!

 

[LiCkWiD]

I've seen the car a few times before now.. although, being Clacton.. there are no shortage of bolt-on Vectras, Astras and Corsas. This was a little different though. Could tell £££ had been spent on it.

Where are you located, Kris?

IMO, it's one of those roads where the speed limit should be dynamic. I've gone the entire stretch dozens of times without seeing another soul... as early at 10:00pm. Gone 12 it's a ghost-town. The odd taxi, that's it.

 

[Kris]

Little Oakley (just outside Harwich)

I work in Colchester.

 

[LiCkWiD]

Oh. I know Little Oakley. I've an ex that lives there. You may know her, Claire Nice?

I also work in Colchester, on Severalls at the minute. Contract here finishes tomorrow... then it's off to London. :S

 

[RobDon]

There is a silver Vectra that has a Courtenay 2.0 turbo engine in it, might have been that one. Can't have been a V6 Vectra, I used to own a Vectra GSi 2.6 V6 and it wasn't that fast at all, sold it and bought my Leon!

 

[LiCkWiD]

Well, I realise 2 lite engines are capable of a lot.. but this thing performed like a low-cost supercar. Its continual acceleration put me in mind of something like a tuned Impreza STi or an Evo. It just dug-in and kept pulling. That sorta thing.

 

[daniel_owen_uk]

Positive it wasn't a monaro?

 

[LiCkWiD]

EDIT: 100% not a Monaro. I wouldn't be posting if it was, I'd just be like. Cool.. a Monaro.

 

[richybigman]

Ther's a 2ltr turbo vectra round my area, they are pretty quick, not quite as quick as me but pretty close.

 

[Fl@pper]

if it was red and either a vx490 or a calibra i'd say beware any other one - poooey