What made the C20XE ‘Redtop’ such a Legendary engine?

The respected C20XE or ‘red top’ has been a part of the European tuning scene for literal decades at this point. Even tough it has been surpassed by more powerful and more technically advanced engines. The XE has been fitted to anything from a mini to even a Fierro. The 2.0 liter has been used in many applications and has proven to be able to make some impressive power figures.

Now before we get into why people love this engine so much lets go into the history and making of the Red top. The motor was Originally signed off by General Motors in the mid ‘80s, the engine was produced with one eye on motorsport success. The C20XE came into production as an evolution of the 20XE engine. Incidentally, the 20XE engine was a further development of the 1987 model 8v 20NE engine. In 1988 the C20XE was introduced, with a 150 hp output compared to the earlier 20XE's 157 hp. This was due to new emission standards, which forced manufacturers to specify their cars with a catalytic converter. The C20XE was fitted to a whole bunch of different opel and Vauxhall models. and was widely used in motorsport in many specialist race versions.
Now after the C20xe came the turbo charged c20LET. The C20LET was identical on the surface, apart from a black plastic plenum and shroud with a 'turbo' script. This version used forged Mahle pistons, with a lower compression ratio. With the edition of a turbo the power figure was also higher and the c20let made (204 PS) over the 150 the normal xe made.

The stronger pistons and lower compression made the C20LET a super easy platform from which to build so why is the C20XE still so loved if it has been surpassed. Well Lets find out.

#C20XE #C20LET #Redtop