Opel Creates 192-hp Corsa OPC Subcompact

Here's a temporary pause from the buzz of the North American

InternationalAuto Show which will be open to the public during the middle of next week. This is this Opel Corsa OPC, which is sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Corsa VXR, the hottest version of the B-segment hatchback. It's set to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. It's a very aggressive, boy-racer style hatchback with a special bodykit featuring big gaping intakes, ventilation slats, plus a rear diffuser divided by a fat, central tailpipe.

It may be an imposing little vehicle by looks alone, but what makes the Corsa such an awesome hot hatchback is the punch that it packs. Despite being the size of a shoe it boasts a whopping 192 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque produced from a paltry 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four. In this guise, the Corsa is no slowpoke, making its way to 0 to 60 mph in under seven seconds and on to a top speed of 140 mph, a velocity that rivals the likes of the Mazdaspeed3. The interesting thing about the car is that its engine has an overboost function that enables the car to produce more torque for short durations of time, such as passing maneuvers.Under these circumstances, peak torque jumps to 192 lb-ft! The only gearbox available is a six-speed manual.

Opel has tamed the rorty powerplant by upgrading all important elements of the car. It has a retuned suspension with heartier components, an ESP system designed to cope with the extra power, bigger 225-width 18-inch wheels, and variable-assist electrical power steering. The brakes have been upgraded too, now measuring an astonishing 308 mm up front and 246 mm in the rear with blue painted calipers. But is it enough? Opel's factory-tuned Astra and Vectra are certainly fast in a straight line, but they're hard to control due to their aggressive torque steer. The Corsa does not feature a limited slip differential or a torque-limiting chip, two of the most effective ways of reducing the effects of torque steer.

And what does all this mean to us? About a month ago, General Motors announced that the official marriage between Saturn and Opel had taken place, with the successor to the compact ION being the Astra, and the new VUE is identical to the Opel Antra. Despite GM marketing the Saturn brand as an import fighter, it never featured a subcompact vehicle in its lineup, however, with escalating fuel prices and consumers' preferences switching towards smaller vehicles, the Corsa could stand an excellent chance of being introduced into the North American market by 2010. We'd like to think that GM would be brave enough to also bring over this high performance model; it'd give Honda, Toyota and Nissan something to think about while staring at its vanishing tailpipes.