Vauxhall GT Concept for Geneva

A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, sub-tonne Vauxhall?!

If you were to bring together everything PH would want from a new sports car in 2016, the Vauxhall GT Concept could well be it. No, really. It weighs less than 1,000kg, the turbocharged three cylinder engine is front mid-mounted and it's rear-wheel drive.

Make it Vauxhall. Make it, make it, make it

It will be shown at Geneva and has been designed to "appeal to driving enthusiasts", evoking the 60s GT concepts that you may well have seen at a Vauxhall Sunday Service. It exists as a progression from the 2013 Monza concept too, with the wheels inspired by an old Opel bike. It wouldn't be a concept without some daft paint somewhere, would it?

Furthermore, a car destined for the motor show stand could not make do with conventional wing mirrors, so the GT Concept does away with those. But it goes one step further too, removing door handles as well. The doors and windows are seamlessly integrated, the cabin accessed via a touchpad on the roof. Cameras do the rear view job, their images displayed in the doors a la VW XL1.

Beyond that there aren't a great many details yet. The engine is the same all-aluminium unit as introduced in the Corsa recently, with 145hp and 151lb ft. Vauxhall claims a 0-62mph time of less than eight seconds and a 134mph top speed. There's a six-speed sequential too, bizarrely.

There's always a danger that the more ordinary cars can get lost in the feast of supercars at Geneva, but the GT Concept looks like being a real must-see. Expect more information from the show floor or perhaps a few days before; wonder if all the girls at the show will wear Stan Smiths?