Vijay Pattni takes a look at one of the hottest Vauxhalls to wear the coveted VXR badge: the 240bhp Astra VXR.

Batman is seriously cool. Why? Well, for starters, he’s like, a ninja.

His physical presence and agility in combat is unequalled – for goodness’ sake, he takes out the scum of Gotham in his spare time, for fun.

So this makes him cool. What makes him super-cool is his outfit. He looks scary, intimidating, powerful, and at over six foot, Batman cuts a menacing silhouette.

But what tops him out as the coolest comic book character, is his near disregard for authority and compassion. Let’s be straight here, Batman is a barely contained psychopath who’s only restraint from seriously injuring criminals is the reason he dons the black mask in the first place.

And this brings us neatly onto the Vauxhall Astra VXR.

It – like Batman – is seriously cool. Why? Well, quite simply, it is insane.

Want to see what a modified VXR looks like? Click below to view a hardcore road-racer:

VXR-R/VXR-S picture credit: Adam Lister, Thorney Motorsport

For a start, it looks fantastic. With meaty, flared arches, a centrally-mounted exhaust, huge 19-inch alloy wheels and a sharp-suited bodykit, the Vauxhall Astra looks ‘fit-for-purpose’ – which, presumably, is to scare other road-users senseless.

Secondly, the Astra boasts 240bhp, and at the time of its launch, was one of the most potent hot hatches available. (Ford Focus RS is now a heavyweight, but more on that later…)

With a 0-62mph time of just 6.2 seconds and a top speed of nearly 150mph, the standard Astra VXR is a quick car.

But, inevitably, putting 240 horses through the front wheels means something’s gotta give. And that is handling.

Deputy editor Stuart Milne reckons: “the Astra VXR redefines the term hooligan – it is mad, bad and dangerous to know. On track it’s a riot with enough space to exploit all of its power. On the road, its torque steer is noticeable in the dry, but we’d expect it to be a bit tricky on damp or bumpy roads, with it spinning away its power in a frenzy of tyre smoke.”

This car then, is not one for shrinking violets. Its heart-stopping acceleration and organ-rearranging ride make it a full-blooded roller-coaster thriller – guaranteed to leave you in a spin.

And for this reason, I absolutely adore the Vauxhall Astra VXR. The Volkswagen Golf GTI is too civilised and, frankly, quite boring. I’ve never liked Renaults, so the Megane is out of the question too, and the Focus ST just a little too common.

What about the new Focus RS, I hear you cry? Well, it is a stonking hot hatch. Put simply, Ford deserves an award for being able to harness 300bhp and making it driveable.

But where Vauxhall has stopped, tuners have picked up the baton…

Famed Vaux’ tuners Thorney Motorsport – who achieved a phenomenal result with their hardened Corsa VXR-R – have tuned the Astra VXR to produce 300bhp and 300lb/ft of pulling power.

They reckon they can get this hardcore Astra from 0-62mph in less than five seconds and on to a top speed of 170mph.

Still want that Focus RS?

For more information on the VXR-S/VXR-R, visit www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk.

Want to see what a modified VXR looks like? Click below:

VXR-R/VXR-S picture credit: Adam Lister, Thorney Motorsport

Speaking of The Dark Knight, check out our image gallery:

Want YOUR car to star in Look at the Wheels on That? Drop us a line at editorial@autotrader.co.uk with 750 words outlining:

• What was it?
• What it was like?
• Why you loved it
• Your lasting memory
• How much you paid for it
• Why you sold it
• Have you seen it since?

And don’t forget to tell us a bit about yourself.

Video: Watch the Opel Insignia OPC - the European version of the Insignia VXR