As
hinted at yesterday, Vauxhall/Opel is to unveil a super sports car concept
called Astra Coupe OPC X-Treme at the Geneva Motor Show (1st-11 March).
The road-going two-seater is based on the Astra Coupe V8 racing car that last
season successfully competed in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM).
With a 4.0-litre V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and a sequential, six-speed
transaxle gearbox, the engineers at the OPC motor sports department (Opel
Performance Centre) have taken over the thoroughbred racing technology of the
DTM car for the study. The engine provides the stunning red concept car with
almost 440bhp and a nice dollop of torque peaking at 390lb/ft. The engine is
powerful enough to take the Astra up to 187 mph.
Among the most eye-catching features of the Astra Coupe OPC X-Treme are its
gull-wing doors which, supported by gas-filled struts, swing gently upwards.
The powerful coupe rolls on specially developed 20-inch tyres (245/25 at the
front and 285/25 at the rear). Based on the same engineering as the DTM car, the
study not only proves its suitability for the road, it also demonstrates the
synergies that are possible between motor racing and series production. How
likely we are to see such a race-bred car gracing the highways is unclear. Could
this be the basis for the VX220 replacement that GM are planning?
