By: IOL Motoring Staff
This is the kind of extremism we like!
Opel's new Astra OPC Extreme is the fastest Astra ever created and it even looks likely to enter low-volume production if Opel is satisfied with the public reaction to it at next week's Geneva Motor Show.
Not only is this beastly hatch 100kg lighter than the normal Astra OPC (thanks to the widespread use of carbon composites), but it's also significantly more powerful, with Opel claiming that its 2-litre turbopetrol engine has been tuned to deliver more than 224kW (up from the standard 206kW).
No performance figures are available as yet, but expect it to shave some valuable decimals off the standard OPC's 6.0-second 0-100km/h dash.
STREET LEGAL RACE CAR
Billed as a race-bred performance car for the street, the OPC Extreme was developed on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and all of its “key high-tech components” come from the Astra OPC Cup race car.
The direct injection engine, with variable camshaft phasing, is linked up to a six-speed manual gearbox that sends power through a traditional limited-slip differential.
Cornering potential is enhanced by 19-inch rims shod with specially-developed 245/35 ultra-high-performance rubber and as with any good race car, the springs and dampers are adjustable. Bringing the OPC Extreme to a halt is a set of Brembo six-piston brakes with 370mm discs.
This hatch also resembles a racing machine inside. For starters, the back seats have been turfed out to make room for a safety roll bar while the two front occupants sit on Recaro bucket seats fitted with six-point Schroth safety harnesses.
Well, public, let’s give this OPC a positive reaction shall we?