Next month’s Geneva Motor Show will be the venue that Vauxhall has chosen to unveil its most powerful front-wheel drive model ever.
It is called the Astra VXR EXTREME, which is derived from last year’s Astra Cup race car that competed in the Nürburgring Endurance Championship and develops more than 300PS from its 2.0-litre turbo engine.
While the car is aimed primarily at the race circuit, the EXTREME is a street-legal car and thanks to carbon components it is 100kg lighter than its performance stablemate – the Astra VXR.
And if public reaction is as positive as expected, Vauxhall plans a low-volume production run for the EXTREME.
With direct injection and variable camshaft phasing, the EXTREME’s 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine is the most powerful four-cylinder unit Vauxhall has yet produced.
The engine is all-aluminium in its design and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
Vauxhall has also given the Astra exceptional stopping power, with a Brembo six-piston brake system including 370mm diameter discs up front while 19-inch tyres, which have been specially developed for the car, give almost as much grip as those on the race car.
Inside, the back seats have been replaced by a safety roll bar, there are Recaro bucket seats and a suede-covered steering wheel with yellow stitching.