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Opel Working on Astra OPC With 300 HP from 1.6-Liter Turbo

Here's a report that comes out of nowhere: Opel is apparently working on a 300 horsepower Astra OPC. While extremely pleasing for the hot hatch fans, this report should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Opel Working on Astra OPC With 300 HP from 1.6-Liter Turbo 1 photo
Photo: Opel
Let's start with what we've learned. German magazine Auto Bild says the Astra OPC is going to be the latest rival for the Golf R. Just like the Megane RS, it will sell only as a practical 5-door, which will anger some purists.

Also like the Megane, the hot Astra is rumored to have around 300 horsepower. You might presume that it comes from a 2.0-liter turbo, like the one found in the old OPC, but you'll presume wrong.

Apparently, the space under the hood of the Astra K is too small for that engine, so they will use a high-strung 1.6-liter instead, just like Peugeot did with the 308 GTi. Birds of feather flock together!

One major advantage is that the new hot hatch will be at least 100 kilos lighter than the old one, probably one of the featherweights of its class. The bad news is that it won't be a tuner's delight and performance might not match the big boys.

The German magazine goes on to claim that the OPC will be FWD-only and fitted with a 6-speed manual. That makes perfect sense. Scheduled to be revealed towards the end of 2017, it could debut as early as next month at the IAA in Frankfurt.

But here's why we're not so sure about this report's authenticity. First of all, the Insignia OPC was replaced by the Insignia GSi, which got less power, not more. Second, we've seen prototypes for a hot Astra, and they didn't scream "300 horsepower." There was even a rumor of the Astra GSi packing a twin-turbo 1.6-liter diesel engine with around 160 horsepower, meaning they are targeting the Megane GT and Peugeot 308 GT.

And finally, we can't ignore the fact that PSA now owns the German company, and they're unlikely to approve of such a radical and expensive undertaking.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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