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

[@mateuszozimek331]

I had this engine inside my Astra F GSi. Was AMAZING! 😊

[@vickheuven3664]

Finally some love for these brutal engines!👌 C20xe and c20let🔥

[@chris425amp7]

Right 🔥

[@chris425amp7]

I like the Manta handle nice but i like Coupe's 🤝

[@sfyostranger2217]

And finally a badass comment... c20xe manta owner here😎

[@Luke77h]

Got a old 20se dictator in the corsa b utility 1.7tdi conversion 😅

[@Johnny-Firpo]

C 40 E Omega B Irmscher

[@jigzonyt517]

Amazing engine. So many novas and corsas were running these in my day Embarrasing hondas, rs turbos etc. Everything on road this engine was killing it

[@schpiedie]

I love the C20XE. I drive it in my Kadett GSi 16V.

[@Danny-ml4yg]

I still run one now and a LET ready to put in. Best old school engine for sure

[@Luke77h]

Got a C20XE and a 20se engine here in some cars they are strong 💪

[@BBTV56k]

Legendary engines, becoming harder and harder to get good ones. I’m currently building one into a 1990 Nova Merit with Jenvey ITBs, can’t beat the savage induction note of throttle bodies.

[@BBTV56k]

@@SincerelyYoursOfficial Yes man just search the build basement and look for the black e46 m3 👍

[@SincerelyYoursOfficial]

@@BBTV56k followed u mate👍🏽👊🏽

[@boerharms2209]

Ive recently built a brand new one. forged internals, bigger cams, cossie head with 2.8 ignition, to go into my Manta

[@gazking08mx]

Best engine ever made imo. Great video

[@JrgProductionsRSA]

Well put together and nicely narrated as well as some gorgeous clips of some of my favorite cars. Well done :)

[@lahnaxd]

Imagine this engine in old Opel C Kadett ;). Currently building one.

[@ThaJay]

Currently building one into a City

[@lahnaxd]

@@ThaJay that will be a fun car

[@aarongruter]

fun fact. in brasil some dude might still have the 4 cilinder world record power number with a c20xe. forged block tho :) but i think the head is still stock other than the valves and springs obviously.

[@LoreFoxGames]

I have c20ne, a 8v version, but i will upgrade to 16v

[@stadiondude]

My Calibra’s engine! I loved this one.. so incredibly raw. Get it with a cosworth head, replace the hydraulic rockers for mechanic ones, get short shift way, light flywheel and a small tune and it’s sooooo reliable. Use the standard F20 transmission and pull it to 100km/u in 2nd gear. ❤

[@marcdalgleish2853]

No mention of the coscast heads can’t remember where they came from or what year etc, was a stronger head 😅

[@xeboi11]

I had 2 gte 16v's they were fantastic engines

[@RAVETOR]

I own an astra gsi myself! Very fun car!

[@gordowg1wg145]

Also, you may be able to guess which engine the Chev' Cruzes used to win the Championship the last year the WTCC used a 2 litre N/A engine spec'? 😉👍😎

[@MrJimbo666]

Wish we had theses engines in North america! The closest we have is the LT3 (C20GET) tubo 8 valves in the Pontiac Sunbird and Pontiac Grand-Am as well.

[@CT-zc6ne]

C18NE i have one. Nitro 5pros only +e85. 310hp for 30sec. Its more fun than supervisor stuff. It idles smooth.

[@souls24]

my father bought the Kadett E GSI in germany in the 80's. Best car ever. 170 hp without turbo and stuff

[@souls24]

3:24 my father has the exact same car, just the engine is a bit different, my father's engine is silver and red

[@souls24]

and my father has a new engine as well, the other one in the car is already oxidated, it stood 20 years in our yard

[@craigconey9971]

@@souls24 silver with the red L piece is the original colors my brother has a cav Gsi 2000 and a cav 4x4 turbo but some scumbag stole it a few weeks Ago and crashed it so she’s a bit smashed up now

[@souls24]

@@craigconey9971 I got the same thing without 4x4 and without turbo

[@damiantaylor7993]

The 20xe/c20xe was developed by Cosworth and the only basic difference between the 20xe and c20xe was just the fitment of the catalyst and that’s it, the V6 c25xe was again a development from the c20xe but the c25xe was never called a red top no matter what people may think it was only the principles of the head design that was adapted for the v6

[@sbv-zs7wz]

I'm still running a 1990 omega 24v gsi with c30 engine, which I think is from the same lineage as this motor.?

[@leightarentaal2123]

This was the boss back in the day. It had to take the 2022 model Polo GTI to beat it. Not even by much

[@user-jt9qm1hk1z]

Ottimo video ottima vettura unico difetto grande erano le testate....che non duravano molto

[@sanchello1985]

I had it in my kadett, then it was converted into LET

[@exatamenteok4545]

Sonho dos Chevette Brasil 🇧🇷

[@einzelganger2925]

Sorry, this engine was developed in Rüsselsheim and not at General Motors, although that was also the parent company of Opel.

[@WestfieldFreshAir]

The cylinder head of the XE was developed by Cosworth in the UK.

[@xX_Kyl-E_Xx]

@@WestfieldFreshAir Common mistake, only some heads were casted by "Coscast",wich are known for better performance and durability than the other heads. Not engineered by Cosworth

[@WestfieldFreshAir]

@@xX_Kyl-E_Xx It's no mistake. I was told it back in the day by the owner of Cosworth, I'm not sharing hearsay. I'm not talking about the head casting either, but the head design.

[@AstraGSiC20XE]

It sure was develloped in Rüsselsheim. But Cosworth surely was heavily involved in the design of the 16 Valve (C)20XE and LET. Head of engine design at Opel back in those days was Dr. Fritz Indra. In an interview with "Car Design And Technology" in may 1992 he is rather dismissive of the groundwork done by Cosworth in designing a four valve version of the existing 2 litre Opel/Vauxhall engine.

[@einzelganger2925]

@@AstraGSiC20XE Thanks for your answer. My own Kadett GSi 16V belonged to Leberecht Fröhlich until 2008, called "Leo". He was the overall project manager for the Kadett-E in Rüsselsheim at the time, everything went through his desk. And Fritz Indra is his personal friend and former colleague. I learned a lot from Leo and that's why I can say that the development of the DOHC took place mainly in Rüsselsheim, without wanting to question the work of the very good Cosworth company. Greetings

[@jamesbaker429]

95 xe hatchback factory fitted calebra turbo head to fast road ,gentle driving 40plus mpg,foot down cosworth crusher 0-60 sub7.0 145mph and looks a reps car a real sleeper but great fun .

[@Lav9944]

Cosworth crusher but it is over a second slower to 60 and 10 mph slower 🤦‍♂️

[@jamesbaker429]

@@Lav9944 friend had a cosworth saloon who does grass track racing and a relative with a Monero they are both embarrassed by the cavalier in normal traffic driving so assume by that my figures must be wrong also great fun on first road trip from buying encountered a lady driving a Jag xk8 any social driving sat at 60 would not let us by untill we were forsed to illegal fastest we ever did 140 regret it really but she really did anoy us .

[@frasermacdonald4450]

I’ve put a c20let into my Peugeot 205…. It’s bonkers 🔥😂😂

[@asskm-ev2yk]

Muy genial 😀

[@iantownsend500]

Excellent engine I hope they stay cheap for awhile so I can get one

[@matthewmilwain5596]

There already expensive lol

[@ghamsterroff6215]

lol they no longer cheap

[@ayrtonsenna1099]

King engine

[@k0nenine]

kwaai my bru

[@adamrobson80]

Haven't seen a cav turbo in years 😕

[@portablerefrigerator4902]

now do you have any idea how to get one of these in america, because looking online here theres basically no listings whatsoever. not even European listings so I could import one.

[@ThaJay]

Best chance is look in Germany (in German not English) but I don't see why if there is no local market for all the small parts you'll need. Here in Europe, the cheap fun stuff is all Opel, Volvo, BMW. The Asian cars were never as popular because they were relatively expensive and interiors felt cheap. American cars also did not work here because the weight and size makes them very very expensive to run because of taxes and fuel prices. So anything non European is expensive and hard to find. Nowadays all the good Opel stuf is also getting much harder to find. Most of the wreckers have been used up in the 90s and 00s for cheap replacements in rally sport. I mean the market is still there but prices are way higher and we have some guys making parts new as well. Why not go for a Ford Ecotec Cosworth? It's pretty comparable to the GM / Opel stuff but probably much easier to get parts for in the states.

[@portablerefrigerator4902]

@@ThaJay yeah EcoTec would be a much better idea for an inline 4, at the time I was trying to use a GM engine for whatever reason but that project was dumb and is dead.

[@ThaJay]

@@portablerefrigerator4902 I hope there's a new project for you that is fun and alive :)

[@RGV2300]

Great vid. One about the 1.9 tdi from vw would be great, the old ones tho, with ve and pd injection (rotary pump and pump-injector, respectively).

[@ChrisVSCars]

Will do😁

[@chris425amp7]

They are a nice lump 🔥

[@iancooper5615]

Ive always loved my VE Tdi, absolutely unbreakable. A bit like my C20xe 💪🏼

[@boerharms2209]

awesome video!! great engine! If you like these engines, I have a rebuild (and tuning) series on my channel. And a C20XE swap into my Opel Manta B coming soon

[@mrcxr8285]

Do a Honda K24 please

[@kcjones6034]

Look up the body style of a 2 door 2003 hyundai accent. 😎

[@lostwill86]

They were a bad xu9j4. The head is a reversed copy of an xu9j4. So much so to the point the xu head will bolt to the redtop block. It was a cheap conversion in the day to get a front facing intake

[@rito2795]

not really, very different engines

[@lostwill86]

@@rito2795 it was a frequently done modification in privateer rallying in period. The peugeot head was cheaper than getting the vaux head fully done to big valve specifications. As that was the size the pug started at

[@gpaul340]

B204

[@izdeglavec2436]

The North Macedonian flag made me proud! 🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰

[@valtersoares245]

🇧🇷 👏 👏 👏

[@alfrednel634]

Isuzu 4JJ1 video

[@googleuser2571]

Legendary engine. Unfortunately it was put into some of the worst handling cars of all time.

[@igorfreitas2841]

👍🇵🇹

[@craigconey9971]

20 xe rev and scream like fuck great engines for the time

[@user-vb3tf2ds7c]

И для этого времени тоже.

[@craigconey9971]

@@user-vb3tf2ds7c I can’t translate what you have said mate?

[@timonetzer-kr7gb]

German engerniering .