It’s common conjecture that the Opel Speedster and its British twin, the Vauxhall VX220, are basically Lotus Elises, but that’s only half-right.

We all know the the Vauxhall VX220 is really a Lotus Elise.. long lived int he shadow of the Lotus but could it be it is actually the better car?

The VX220 had a longer wheelbase, for example, and was initially powered by a 2.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine from a Vauxhall Astra rather than the Elise’s 1.8-litre K-Series motor.

1. Vauxhall VX220 Turbo – A Hidden Gem The Vauxhall VX220 Turbo is an underrated alternative to the Lotus Elise. Engineered and built by Lotus, it offers sharp handling with added safety features like ...

Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 General Motors Loosely related to the Lotus Elise, the Speedster was the car no one saw coming from Opel.

The engine is water-cooled and sits with its cylinders 75 degrees offset like the old RC212V MotoGP bike, though Honda claims it doesn't need an intercooler.

While they're disappearing in favor of EVs, examples of supercharged powerplants from Chevrolet, Dodge, Cadillac, and even Volvo are still available.

That engine was fitted to the MR2 Mk3, which is another VX220 alternative that’s less usable than you might expect, thanks to its mid-engined configuration. It’s great fun and much cheaper ...

Superchargers, like turbochargers, are air compressors that feed oxygen to the engine. As part of the intake stroke, a supercharger pulls and squeezes air into the engine to create that beastly whine.

Instead of driving the supercharger via a belt and pulley attached to the engine, as in most current applications, Ferrari proposes driving it with a planetary gearset attached to the driveshaft.

Vauxhall has introduced a new 48-volt hybrid engine to the Grandland line-up. Priced from £32,415, the Grandland Hybrid has CO2 emissions of 124-127g/km and a power output of 136PS.