Autoblog

Click to view the Vauxhall Astra VXR Nürburgring in hi-res

There's no shortage of automakers which claim the vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife as their own stomping ground. Along with the likes of BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin, to name but a few, GM's European subsidiary staked its claim last year with the Opel Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition. Now Vauxhall, its British counterpart, wants to be part of the club, too. But rather than create its own performance model, Vauxhall's big news is that it has essentially taken the OPC Nürburgring and slapped on the shiny new griffin logo and called it its own.

Giving credit where credit is due, however, the special edition Vauxhall VXR edges out its Opel OPC counterpart with an extra 14 horses unbridled by a Remus sport exhaust. Aside from the grille and the tailpipes, however, the package is just about the same. Lightweight 18" alloys – shod with Dunlop rubber, mounted on a widened track and barely hiding 321mm front and 278mm rear ventilated discs with signature blue VXR calipers – come in white, complimenting the white paint job. That's the only color this special VXR offers, and is accented by checkered-flag graphics (like those seen on special-edition Renaultsport hatchbacks from across the Channel) and faux-fiber accents on the B-pillars and wing mirror housings. Step inside and the special touches continue, including leather-trimmed Recaro racing seats embossed with the Nürburgring track layout, carbon fiber door trim and an individually-numbered plaque. The price of exclusivity for British customers comes in at £21,295, a £1,575 premium over the standard VXR. More details in the press release after the jump, and images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition

PRESS RELEASE:

The car for when even an Astra VXR isn't VXR enough...

• Astra VXR Nürburgring Edition, on sale now
• Remus Sports exhaust provided as standard
• Exclusive white paint, embossed leather seats and graphics
• Priced at £21,295 on-the-road

There are plenty of hot hatches on the market, but it's the Astra VXR that's the undisputed Ring leader...

And to prove it, Vauxhall has pulled the wraps off the Nürburgring edition, named after the car's spiritual home, where much of its pre-production development was carried out.

Based on the standard Astra VXR and priced at £21,295, each individually numbered Nürburgring edition will come with an exclusive all-white paint finish and lightweight white 18-inch alloy wheels, equipped with bespoke Dunlop tyres, are also specified. Other exterior features include dark tinted windows, carbon fibre effect mirrors and B-Pillars and distinctive chequered flag body graphics, to further emphasise the car's incredible performance.

Mechanically similar to the standard VXR, the Nürburgring Edition produces 240PS in factory tune, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. Each UK-specification car will also come provided with a Remus Sports Exhaust, developed with Vauxhall's BTCC race team, Triple-Eight Race Engineering, which provides a power increase of up to 15PS.

Like the standard car, the Nürburgring Edition benefits from a six-speed manual gearbox and lowered, uprated VXR suspension with ESP as standard. But its dynamics are enhanced still further with the wider front and rear tracks and lower un-sprung weight offered by the new alloy wheels. Ventilated 321mm diameter disc brakes at the front and 278mm diameter discs at the back help slow things down, while blue-painted callipers remain a VXR trademark.

The Nürburgring Edition theme continues inside, with carbon fibre detailing on the door trims and fascia, bespoke leather seats with the Nürburgring circuit graphic embossed into the Recaro front seat backrests and an individually numbered plaque showing each car's build number.

Optional extras include electronic climate control (£275), cruise control (£200), electric foldable door mirrors (£125) and adaptive forward lighting (£750).

In fact, the only thing it doesn't come with is one of those Nürburgring bootlid stickers you can buy when you do a lap of the circuit. Such a shame, as it means you'll have to drive it there and buy one yourself.