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New Opel Corsa OPC - 210 HP and 6-Speed Manual Confirmed

GM’s European branch has kept us in the dark on the 2015 Opel Corsa OPC ever since the supermini debuted at the Paris Motor Show. Up to now, the sportiest Corsa E available was the OPC Line package teamed with the three-cylinder 1.0 EcoTec with 115 horsepower and 170 Nm (125 lb-ft) of twist on tap.
2015 Opel Corsa 11 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
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The last couple of months, carparazzi sent us pictures of a prototype Corsa that boasted with large alloy wheels, a sportier front fascia and two exhausts. Our two cents went on it being the new full-fledged OPC hot hatchback, not a different version of the OPC Line visual package, and our hunch appears to have been right on the money.

A specifications list for the new Corsa E powertrain options has been published by Actualidadmotor.com and according to it, there’s a 1.6 turbo petrol mill which develops 210 HP and it’s mated to snickety six-speed manual. Considering the last-gen Opel/Vauxhall Corsa OPC sent 192 horsepower to its front wheels and got from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.2 seconds, we're pretty excited about the new OPC.

The six-speed manual is said to be more precise than its predecessor and more pleasant to swap cogs with
Furthermore, there’s the enhanced skeleton of the E-gen Corsa - it may be just a heavily revised Corsa D platform, but coupled to the extra oomph and OPC-grade components, this recipe may equate to a 0 to 100 km/h run of 7 seconds or even less if the 1.6 turbo mill will be offered with an overboost feature.

In the world of B-segment hot hatches, the 2015 Opel / Vauxhall Corsa OPC is more powerful than the Renault Clio RS, Ford Fiesta ST and the VW Polo GTI. It may be a lot for a hot supermini, but the upcoming new-gen MINI Cooper JCW guise will get a 2-liter turbocharged powerplant with 231 HP.

Lastly, the Renault Clio RS’ EDC dual clutch box enables the French pocket rocket to thrust its way to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, which is a bit faster than what we expect the 2015 Opel Corsa OPC to offer with its six-speed manual. But the advantage the little Opel holds over the Renault is that spirited drivers prefer to swap cogs the old school way, with a clutch pedal and heel and toe-ing their downshifts.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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