..."Performance Car of the Year" competition. Sounded like their version of C&D's Top 10. There were 38 contenders and it was pretty stiff competition--no holds barred. The top 11, in order, are as follows (the "11" number is what they considered the finalists):

11. Bentley Continental GT
10. Mini Cooper S Works
09. BMW M3 CSL
08. Mazda RX-8
07. VW Golf R32
06. BMW Z4 3.0
05. Nissan 350Z
04. Porsche 911 GT3
03. Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
02. Mitsubishi EVO VIII FQ-300
01. Vauxhall VX220 Turbo

The judges liked the gearbox, suicide doors, 9k redline, and good handling, but preferred the torque of the competitors--particuliarly the 350Z. Is Vauxhall Owned by Opel (GM)? That car looks very much like the Opel Speedster, but I didn't think it was that fast. Very much Lotus Elise-like.

 

In the UK, Opel cars are badged Vauxhall.
In Australia they're called Holden.
They are all under GM.

 

The VX220 for all practical purposes is a lotus.

Its made in hethel at the lotus factory right next to the elise production line.

The engine in the VX220 is an ecotec turbo, which was designed by lotus, the elise uses a rover k series which wasnt...

 

What do you consider fast? Quoted times were:

0-62mph 4.9sec
top speed 151mph

and throw in over 33mpg for good measure, i'd say it's a hold terror.