Ok so someones going to jump up and shout "... Its a Vauxhall"
Well it is the same engine that they fit to the VX220 Turbo - but who developed that for Vauxhall? - and who builds the VX220 anyway?
Lotus does ... so I reckon this is a proper Lotus engine. And its good for 245bhp with a bit of remapping.
Has anybody got any experience with these engines??
I am thinking about changing course and using it in my '7' instead of the Zetec which still needs a lot of sorting.
Rescued attachment DSC00404.JPG
Wow. that's a big engine 
Very nice though!
IT'S A VAUXHALL. sorry couldn't resist
Good find. Definately fit that instead of the Zetec if it will make that power in standard trim. Surely you can run that on the same injection system
as you would have had to use on the Zetec so you'll just have to mate it to your gearbox which shouldn't be too difficult.
[Edited on 14/1/10 by stuart_g]
Cool... where did you get the Lotus spark plug cover from?
I knew someone would suss it!
I do have a problem with mating my MT75. A type9 would be easier.
by the cover, its basically an ecotec. same as mine. type 9 conversion will be the easiest for you.
check some of my pic, philw's pics, and cd.thomson (red top, but essentially the same from the head down)
It'll be a rather short lived Type 9 in standard form I'd have thought?
is it an x20xev?
^if its a turbo its a X20LET i think?
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
It'll be a rather short lived Type 9 in standard form I'd have thought?
I've got that engine in the wife's Zafira. It's quick even in that! In a seven with decent carbs and manifolds you should get 200 bhp-ish out of the box. If and when the Zafira dies it's my next engine.
would an omega box not go straight on?
ive got a x20xev in the garage that needs new shells fitting....
i was going to dump it at the weekend!!!
quote:
Originally posted by Danozeman
would an omega box not go straight on?
type 9 should be fine. isn't it madteg whos putting 350bhp through one or something?
suitable omega boxes are expensive and rare.
[Edited on 14/1/10 by cd.thomson]
Its out of a Lotus Europa S. Basically an Ecotec 2 litre but Turbo blown and delivering 200 bhp.
Lotus offered an upgrade to 245 bhp which consisted of a free flow air filter and remapping the ECU.
For the gearbox its either a stronger BGH type9 which is expensive but bell housing adapters are available.
Or my MT75 which I would like to use as it it brand new but would need a complicated custom adapter.
Or a Manta/Omega box which I have no experience of so would be a learning curve.
i did a lot of research into this.
a standard type 9 will stand up to 200hp and costs £50, adaptors are very easy to get hold of. If you want to future proof it and you have the money
(which you clearly do!) then an uprated box is obviously not going to hurt
if youre really not too worried about money then you want to get the R28 or R30 rwd omega gearboxes. These will take 200hp all day long (theres a dax
with a turbo XE fitted with 400hp and an R28). The R28s are about £250, and the R30s are better but extremely rare.
The main issue with the omega boxes is you will need a custom propshaft which is designed to replace the standard rubber coupling used by the original
propshaft. This steeply increases the cost of your prop.
personally I would not bother with the M75 and the manta box, although a direct fit, is weaker than the type 9 so not fit for purpose imho.
hope this helps and saves you the time it took me to find this out.
Wasn't someone selling an uprated type 9 in the For Sale section the other day?
It wasn't cheap, but you get what you pay for...
Update - sold 
[Edited on 14/1/10 by David Jenkins]
nice motor,might aswall start with reliable standard power rather than screw the nuts tuning an old one up to it.steer clear of standard manta gearboxes from my experience tho.mates old redtop westy went through 4 in one summer!he might have been unlucky tho....
Why not just bang a turbo onto the zetec and ring 300bhp out of it??
I have had all three variations of the VX220 over 8 years and the tubby engine is a cracker. Vx tuning is a pain though due to space restrictions and
heat build up, but 300 bhp with standard engine internals is easy.
[Edited on 14/1/10 by The Knobs]
Cracking engine, I have a 2008 Astra VXR which basically has the newer version of this engine C20LEH and that gives 240bhp as standard.
Why not use a C20LET?? easy to get bits for e.g. bell housing then put a lotus sticker on to like that one