Westfield Sport Turbo UK225 review

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Westfield Sport Turbo UK225 First Drive

Test date 02 October 2010 Price as tested £25,649

: Test car had ECU remapped by VXR tuners Courtenay Sport

What is it?

Quite possibly the most attractive alternative to a fast Caterham that Westfield Sportscars has ever produced.

It’s called the Sport Turbo UK225 and it comes off the back of a landmark year for Westfield.

In April 2009, the Black Country’s best-known ‘kit and turnkey’ sports car specialist became one of the UK’s first niche car makers to get full European low-volume type approval for one of its models: the Corsa VXR-engined Sport Turbo.

See first drive pics of the Westfield Sport Turbo UK225

Westfield has been busily exporting cars across Europe since then. The feedback it’s been getting from its ever-faithful British customer base, however, is that the Sport Turbo just isn’t quite naughty enough. Its exhaust isn’t loud enough, its specification not quite trick enough and its performance not quite silly enough to satisfy us native savages.

Which is where this UK-market-only offering comes in.

What’s it like?

Like the export car, the UK225’s got fully independent, fully adjustable rose-jointed double wishbone suspension at both ends, and an impressive cabin.

But unlike the standard Sport Turbo, which is saddled with extended door mirrors and a pea-shooter exhaust by European type approval, this car gets a bigger-bore carbonfibre silencer, normal mirrors and proper four-point harnesses.

The UK225 weighs about 30kg less than standard at 620kg, and our test car got an ECU remapped by VXR engine tuning specialist Courtenay Sport to produce 225bhp and 251lb ft of torque. That gives this car a highly promising 363bhp per tonne.

This Westfield may seem like a natural rival for a Caterham Seven R300, but on the move it feels more like a Roadsport SV, albeit one with a wicked turn of pace.

That’s because the UK225 has the same absorbent chassis as the regular Sport Turbo, which makes it unexpectedly suited to the road.

It’s got a slightly roomier cabin than a regular Caterham too and – praise be – an adjustable steering column. Which means big blokes like yours truly can steer it without perpetually beating themselves about the thighs.

With all that torque, this Westie is surprisingly easy to drive; you don’t even need to use first gear if you don’t want to.

Whether you use it or not, this thing feels seriously fast. In the dry we’d expect it to crack 62mph in under 4.0sec.

In the wet, it struggles for traction a little; blame that on the Toyo Proxes tyres and the absence of a standard limited-slip diff.

But in either condition it’s quick to turn in, has a fine, neutral handling balance, and its chassis strikes a compromise between bump absorption and body control that’s ideal for rewarding road driving.

Should I buy one?

If you’re in the market for an affordable plaything, and you’re aiming to spend more time on the road than on the track, you should certainly try one. And if you’ve ever found a Caterham a touch confined, there’s all the more reason.

The Westfield Sport Turbo UK225 isn’t the perfect lightweight thriller. Purists will argue that it lacks the polish and precision of a really focused track special; it’s certainly got steering that fails to communicate at times, and soft throttle response. Its glassfibre bodywork won’t win many compliments from Caterham owners, either.

Still, this car’s price, performance and everyday usability should exceed the expectations of anyone who gives it a fair chance.

It’s a bit of a rough diamond, but has the potential to entertain with the very best and to punch well above its price.

Matt Saunders

Westfield Sport Turbo UK225

Price: £25,649; Top speed: 145mph (est); 0-62mph: 4.0sec (est); Economy: 35mpg (est); CO2: 185g/km (est); Kerb weight: 620kg; Engine: 4 cyls in line, 1598cc, turbocharged, petrol; Power: 225bhp at 6250rpm; Torque: 251lb ft at 3600rpm; Gearbox: six-speed manual