OPC stands for Opel Performance Centre and, like most German motorheads, these guys don't mess about. Now they've turned their attention to the new Opel Astra GTC coupé (which is not slow to start with) - and the result will be released in Europe in mid-2012.
First - the right stuff: in this case a two-litre direct-injection turbopetrol screamer for which Russelsheim's whitecoats are claiming 206kW (Eat that, Golf R!) and 400Nm, ensuring that the quickest Astra yet will easily reach its electronic limiter at 250km/h.
Keeping all this whup-ass under control on the Nordschleife of the 'Ring (Where else do you go to develop a German performance car?) is a limited-slip differential that reduces torque steer to manageable proportions, even in the wet, according to chief test driver Jo Winkelhock.
Bump control is modulated by a tuned version of the Astra GTC's high-performance strut front suspension, supervised by the fully-adaptive FlexRide chassis control system, which enables the driver to tune the damper characteristics steering weight and accelerator response “on the fly” at the touch of a button.
Braking is by industry leader Brembo, carefully modulated so that the car doesn't get twitch no matter how hard you dive into a corner.
Opel says the GTC is the most “emotional” of the current Astra range; in the case of the OPC that emotion is pure attitude. The uber-Astra comes with specially sculpted front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a roof spoiler and dual trapezoidal tailpipes, while the black-on-black interior is dominated by leather-trimmed sports seats embossed with the OPC logo, a flat OPC sports leather steering wheel and special instruments.