Opel putting Astra Extreme into production
Mon, 10 Mar 2014Even more than in years past, this month's Geneva Motor Show press days were absolutely teeming with lust-worthy hot hatches. There was the new Seat Leon Cupra, the Honda Civic Type R concept, Volkswagen Scirocco R and Golf GTE, Audi S1 and Abarth 695 Biposto. But one of the most enticing of them all was the Opel Astra OPC Extreme.
Effectively a roadgoing version of the Astra OPC Cup racer, the Extreme is a track car for the road that packs a 2.0-liter turbo four tuned up to 300 horsepower and little else – and by that we mean it's been all stripped out and geared up for hardcore performance.
We have to admit that we were a little bummed when General Motors stated that the Astra OPC Extreme was just for show at the moment. But word coming in from Autocar suggests that, based on positive public reception at the Swiss show, it has already been approved for production.
Production will reportedly be limited to between 50 and 300 examples, depending on demand. That apparently includes a right-hand-drive Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme for the UK market. All we need now is for GM to bring it across the Atlantic to sell in US showrooms.
By Noah Joseph
See also: Opel Meriva gets refreshed with more chrome and new diesel, Opel Adam S and Adam Rocks make us want GM's Euro city car even more [w/poll], Opel Performance Center takes Astra to the Extreme [w/video].