A new era for one of Britain's best-loved sports car manufacturers. This is the Westfield 1600 Sport Turbo - a new model that will take the marque to mainland Europe for the first time as well as reviving the model line-up in the UK.
Built to European small car type-approval standards, the Westfield 1600 Sport Turbo conforms to much the same regulations (with the exception of pedestrian, frontal and side impact safety rules) as any mainstream small car that is sold in Europe, making it easy to sell and register abroad.
Thanks to the flyweight 650kg wet kerb weight, the Westfield not only makes the 62mph mark in well under five seconds but also gets glowing green credentials. The 192bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine (taken from the Vauxhall Corsa VXR) not only returns more than 40mpg but also emits just 171g/km of CO2.
What's it like?Always fun, and occasionally a good alternative to a laxative in the right (or wrong) situation. Yet initial impressions are not of the hysterical thrust you get from the turbo, nor of the deafening induction noise under load. In fact, the most striking difference on an initial drive up the road is how much more comfortable the Westfield 1600 Sport Turbo is.
Independent rear suspension, complete with well-judged spring and damper settings, makes the Westfield 1600 Sport Turbo astonishingly supple over ordinary urban roads at low speeds. At higher speeds the softish suspension feels less composed and can result in a disconcerting lifting sensation over longer or more severe troughs and crests in the road surface.
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