Shh, keep it quiet, but the griffin-badged Red Top is actually on of the easiest and cheapest to get big gains from. 

 

Red-Top Vauxhalls still make excellent sense because they're cheap and they produce big power with little work – they're comparable with a Cosworth YB but without the hassle of all that port work. This isn't really surprising when you consider that this is Vauxhall's answer to that engine – it is another Cosworth engine after all: the Cosworth KBA.

 

There are several ways to gain that 200bph goal – one's almost bolt on, while other more traditional methods don't require that much more work and are arguably about the same money. Fortunately, XE king, SBD Motorsport, gave us the benefit of its wisdom. SBD's Steve Broughton stressed that any decent XE build really relies on a full engine build since all of these engines are now getting on a bit. You really need to take this into account if you expect the engine to run the numbers.

 

The best basis for any engine is the earlier 'Coscast'-headed XE, which will have forged pistons in it as standard. These are ideal since doing the 200 the traditional way ideally means a cam swap and therefore pockets for the extra lift this dictates. Therefore, these pistons are better suited. Whatever, insurance comes by way of a better set of rod bolts; the rest of the bottom end will easily cope. The mod alone allows the rev limit to be raised to 7750rpm.

 

Next you have two choices: either fit a complete SBD taper throttle body kit and a decent exhaust and you'll easily see 200 bhp – and even more with cams; or. fit some mild cams and a pair of 45 DCOEs – the XE doesn't favour too big carbs as it slow the gas speed down. However, this latter route does dictate a better set of valve springs and retainers too. A decent exhaust manifold is also extremely important with this engine as it's here that you can win or lose in the power stakes.

 

View our 2.0L Vauxhall 208bhp Taper Throttle Body Kit 

 

It might cost you a bit on the outset, but reaching that 200 figure should be cinch with some decent throttle bodies.  

 

Probably the easiest on of the lot! The Duratec is so much like a race engine that it's not surprising that finding the power is extremely simple. The only weak link is the cast components – although that's hardly a weak link since they'll take the punishment to about 225bhp before they need swapping for steel. And that's only because the safe rev limit's gone beyond that of regular cast components. 

Really, an induction change is all you need to make a Duratec produce 200bhp – but, it's the type of induction that does it; not all induction is the same! Again SBD gave us the whole story.

 

Like the XE and the Zetec there are several ways to get 200bhp on the Duratec. Swapping to sidedraughts on a 2-litre engine will give around 175bhp, then you'd need cams to make the numbers up on top of that.

 

A more cost effective solution is to go straight to throttle bodies and there's two types that SBD offer – regular parallel bore, which are good to 195bhp with no other mods! Serious! But to tip the 200, SBD have already made 203bhp on the tapered body versions – that is a bit daft isn't it? A mere induction change is comparative peanuts, especially when you compare it to the coming Crossflow! 

 

View our 2.0L Duratec 203bhp Taper Throttle Body Kit

 

 

Reproduced with permission of Classic Ford Magazine