This is my 2004 Calypso Red VX220 Turbo, it looks amazing in red particularly after a good polish, with black leather interior and black soft top. It has covered 67,000 miles and was purchased by me in May of this year, my intention being to run it through the Summer months and then SORN it over winter working on various aspects in preparation for next Spring/Summer.
Its an interesting car, originally registered 05/03/2004 it was a promotional car for Vauxhall (confirmation letter available) and for a short spell was registered with the well known DE51 RED plate. It then belonged to 4 further owners (2 of whom are VX220.org members) before I purchased it this year making it a 5 owner car.
The first .org owner spent considerable sums of money making some very unique modifications to the car, most of which were documented on the forum and can be traced back. Sadly it was involved in an accident with a UPS delivery van around 9/10 years ago and due to its value at the time was fully repaired by the insurer and was off the road for 3 months whilst clam etc were all ordered. It was NOT ever categorised and remains fully HPI clear, documentation available to substantiate this along with thread on .org to show what damage was caused and the level of repair that followed.
A pretty basic car in its original form, if you are looking at these I am sure you know that creature comforts are few and far between, however this car has a few more than usual benefitting from –
Vauxhall carpet mats
Passenger footrest (powdercoated black)
Blaukpunkt cd player
Elise wiper arm and relay (better sweep and integrated washer jet)
OEM Vauxhall hardtop with ALL fittings
Heated seats – amazing little extra (installation can be viewed on .org)
Coverzone Voyager outdoor car cover
Uprated quickrack steering rack
Carbon Fibre mudflaps (front)
ABS override switch
Resealed and ducted heater box
Carbon fibre gearshifter
The car remains visually standard with the exception of uprated grooved discs and fast road pads, plus a satin black wrapped windscreen surround. On the engine side of things it has been well cared for buy some of the best names in the VX arena including Back On Track, Matt Bentley Racing and Courtenay Sport. The latter were responsible for taking this particular car to a Stage 2 level of tune, which is regarded in the VX world as the sweet spot. It provides in the region of 245bhp with the added soundtrack that a sports cat and Milltek exhaust provide, a lovely burble on the overrun, pops and crackles on down changes, whooses and hisses on up changes; it truly is an aural delight. It benefits from a recently installed Forge re-circulating dump valve which is far stronger than the standard item, along with an enlarged and polished top hat.
A number of other small mods have been made around the car such as a carbon UV expansion tank protector, uprated LED number plate and sidelights and replacement aerial grommet to name just a few.
I have a folder full of receipts and service history, the most recent of note are an oil service at Back on Track in April of this year at 64,878 miles and previous to that a full cambelt and water pump service at Matt Bentley Racing in March 2018 at 64,618 miles. The car is fitted with the manufacturer recommended Bridgestone Potenza tyres all round and I have just had the alloy wheels refurbished in OEM silver.
The car was MOT’d in April of this year and passed with no advisories, I have all MOT’s dating back to its first in 2008. I also have an original VX220 brochure, a copy of CAR magazine (Dec 2003) when it was voted Performance Car Of The Year, an accompanying un-used rear window sticker, 2 sets of keys, documentation from Vauxhall Heritage confirming its history and a ring binder full of history and receipts.
The car is now 15 years old and owing to the nature of the experience it provides there are some areas that require attention, it is to be expected with any car of this age –
- There is a paint chip on the rear number plate recess, this has been touched in but is still visible.
- There is a small area of flaking on top of the drivers side air intake (ear) and both lower edges of the ears are stone chipped.
- The drivers side seat bolster has worn through, this is common from sliding in and out of the car and a number of specialist trimmers offer a bolster repair for around £50.
- The rearmost part of the plastic sill on the inside of the car (drivers) side has cracked, most probably due to someone putting their weight on it to get in or out the car. Its not a load bearing piece of trim and breaks easily, unable to source a replacement up until now.
- The windscreen was replaced with a heated item some years ago, the heating element no longer works however the windscreen is in good shape. The black surround looks very tired and I have recently had it wrapped to smarten it up, clearly if/when a windscreen chip or crack happens it will be replaced with a new one.
I also have a brand new set of dash plates, it was my intention over the winter to remove the existing ones and move the heated seat/windscreen switches to a more conspicuous place to keep it looking OEM and then fit the new dash plates, I will include these.
The car is sensational, every journey I have made in the car has been a proper assault on the senses, you feel every bump, every white line in the car and become a master at reading the road trying to avoid any severe potholes or bumps. It rewards in the way it handles and the Stage 2 tune gives it plenty of power reminding you just what 245bhp in a 900kg car feels like. The whole experience is theatre from bending yourself into the drivers seat, pushing the starter button, hearing the cracks and pops out of the exhaust to even refuelling when people always want to talk about the car. There is still time to enjoy this car in the sunshine, we are typically graced with an Indian Summer until Sept and with a heatwave predicted again imminently the new owner can get plenty of enjoyment from the car before having to put it away if they choose to do so.
I think this makes a great alternative to an Elise and with the upgraded parts and modifications this car has, you can really enjoy it. No its not a super low mileage, pristine show car, but it’s a car you can use every weekend and enjoy every moment safe in the knowledge its not haemorrhaging money. I have owned both an NA and now a Turbo and these truly are something to be experienced, sadly this sale as previously mentioned wasn’t planned right now but a potential job relocation means it needs to find a new home before I move.
Today it has just had a Summer Protection Detail at System Clenz, Weston Super Mare and as you can see it looks sensational, this can be maintained until winter by simply washing with a pH neutral shampoo and drying – bliss!
The car is located in Somerset about 10mins from junction 22 of the M5, please no timewasters or offers of part ex, this is a straight sale of a genuine car. Any questions please get in contact. The private plate will be removed prior to sale and is not included.
