This brings back memories of our childhood engine sounds when we played with our toy cars.
Opel Speedster was first introduced at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show as a concept car and was put into production in March 2000. The partnership between General Motors & Lotus resulted in the creation of the Speedster. It was mechanically similar to the then-new Lotus Elise. Although there were some differences between the two, the Speedster was praised by the motoring press as a great car for driving. Jeremy Clarkson said that it was a better value than the Lotus.
The Speedster was a rare product, with only 7,200 units produced between 2000 and 2005. The Speedster was sold in Europe with the Opel badge, in the United Kingdom under the Vauxhall VX220 moniker and in other markets as the Daewoo Speedster. One of the few remaining examples of this car is available to show us its capabilities.
This is not a stock vehicle. The Speedster came in two versions: a 2.2-liter naturally-aspirated gas engine that produced 145 horsepower (108kilowatts), or a 2.0-liter turbo-powered turbo with 200 horsepower (149 kW). It weighed in at 1,929 lbs (875 kg) in NA form, and 2,050 pounds (930 kg) when turbocharged. This gave it a good performance.
The car’s 2.2-liter engine was not capable of decent performance so a supercharger was installed. The supercharger helped the four-cylinder unit to produce 250 horsepower (186 kW) at a top speed reaching 141 mph (227 km/h) on the German Autobahn. Even more, the whining sound of the supercharger can be heard inside the cabin due to poor sound insulation. It’s a charming sound and definitely makes the car stand out.