Autoblog

Click above for a gallery of the Steinmetz Corsa OPC

The Opel Corsa is small, cool, and like most other neat U.S.-automaker Euro offerings, unavailable to us -- at least for now. As good as the current car would look wearing Saturn badges and slotted beneath the Astra, we'll have to wait a good while until the next-gen Corsa arrives to see it in Saturn stores. Nifty though it may be in standard guise, it's the OPC performance variant that really strikes our fancy. 192 horsepower, a 6.8-second 0-60, and fuel economy in the neighborhood of 30 mpg is a compelling combo.

Longtime Opel tuner, Steinmetz, has unveiled a suite of mods for the butched-up Corsa OPC. The factory hot hatch gets a new exhaust that adds ten horsepower, bumping its peak output to 202 ponies. Next comes a suspension upgrade that drops the car 30 millimeters, giving it a more athletic stance. Finally, Steinmetz closes the deal with a new front spoiler, replacement grille, side stripes, aluminum gas cap, and an upgraded wheel/tire package. Looks like fun to us.


[Source: Steinmetz]

Click image for high-res gallery

In Europe, no niche remains unaddressed, it seems. Business owners looking for a hottish-looking ride in their delivery vehicles were offered the Transit SportVan earlier this year by Ford. It combined the utility of the Transit with the optics of a Focus ST, what with its Performance Blue paint, snowflake-pattern rims, and Le Mans stripes. We're sure the 500 owners who scored one of the limited-edition trucks are pleased with their selections. Ford isn't alone in addressing this segment, however.

In the Netherlands, Opel has gotten into the game with the Vivaro VPC. The Vivaro is, like the Transit, a panel van. Apparently, GM sees an opportunity to sell 100 tricked-out versions (at € 34,900 each) to Dutch commercial customers who wish to make their delivery rounds in something more sporty-looking than the average panel. It comes in the same blue paint used on the Opel OPC cars, rolls on OPC wheels, and wears a full appearance package including color-matched everything, an aggressive front fascia with intrgrated foglights, and dual, trapezoid-shaped exhaust exits in the rear. The VPC moniker is the final, and most obvious, hat tip to the OPC performance wing of the car division. A 2.5L CDTi turbodiesel with 143 horses supplies the power, and it's mated to a 6-speed manual. As for the driver, the cab's no penalty box either, as evidenced by two-tone leather and Alcantara Recaro sport seats that look as if they've been pilfered from a GT1 car. Delivering goods has never been so good.

[Source: Opel via Autoblog Spanish]

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Opel pulled the wraps off the Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition at Round 4 of the OPC Race Camp, a competition that will ultimately produce a driver team the Automaker will send to next year's Nürburgring 24-hour race. Opel and the Nürburgring go way back, with test stints on the Nordshcleife a standard part of production models' development process. The Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition is a nod to the legendary track. Like its "regular" Astra OPC kin, the Nürburgring Edition is a 150-mph hatchback powered by a 240-horsepower turbo four mated to a six-speed manual.

The special edition is finished exclusively in white with an offset checkered-flag graphic that runs along the hood and roof and fades away on the hatch lid. A high-mount spoiler, carbon fiber accents on the b-pillars and mirrors, and lightweight white wheels complete the visual. Inside, the full-leather interior is accented with an embroidered track map on the headrests and special numbered badging on the glove box.

Meanwhile, all we think while looking at this is "Saturn Astra Red Line." Please make this happen soon, General.

[Sources: GM, Autoblog Spanish]

Click image for high-resolution photo gallery

The new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa's a smart-looking little hatchback that our friends in Europe and the UK get to enjoy while we watch from the sidelines. GM hasn't seen fit to send the little Fit-fighter our way, but with Saturn and Opel tied at the hip now, our hopes for such a thing seem far less unrealistic. After all, at this time last year, the idea of seeing the Astra in the US was a pipe dream -- one that's been fulfilled with the confirmation that it's headed over as a 2008 Saturn.

The latest reason to want a Corsa comes as both divisions release their performance variants. Vauxhall's just pulled the wraps off the Corsa VXR while Opel unveiled the identical Corsa OPC - a three-door pocket rocket powered by a 192-horsepower turbocharged 1.6L. Before you scoff at its 6.8-second 0-60 time as being "slow," know also that it has a top end of 140 mph and reportedly delivers a fuel economy of around 30 US miles per gallon in combined use (35.8 imperial mpg). That's a pretty good set of numbers across the board, and it sounds like the turbo Corsa wouldd make for one seriously fun commuter car.



Follow the jump for our final thoughts as well as Vauxhall's press release, and check out additional photos in our gallery.

[Source: GM (OPC photos - GM via Autoblog Spanish)]

GM announced today that its Opel Astra will receive a design refresh and updated power plant options. The new 2007 Astra will debut at the Bologna Motor Show (December 7-16, 2006), and will be available at dealerships starting in February. Engine choices will vary from either a 1.3-liter diesel four or a 1.4-liter gas engine, both producing 90 HP, to an available 240 HP, 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine. The brutish 2.0-liter turbo will only be available in the spicy Astra OPC, but a 'milder' 200 HP version is available in more standard configurations.

Perhaps this news is indication that GM is preparing the Astra to be ported over to the North American market as a Saturn. We certainly wouldn't object to another 240 HP plus compact to toss around. With the next generation Vue set to unveil in LA, the Ion is the only legacy Saturn remaining. The people at GM seem too smart to pull a Ford and stick us with the same Ion for another few years.

You can read the press release and catch more photos after the jump.