You’re looking at a barely disguised 2015 Vauxhall Corsa. Or, to be precise, its Opel Corsa OPC continental cousin.
CAR magazine’s spy photographers were on hand at the Nurburgring when the Corsa hot hatch shot past during the final stages of evaluation testing.
And judging by the scant disguise on this pocket rocket, we’d say the Vauxhall Corsa VXR is nearing production readiness.
Click here to read CAR magazine’s new Vauxhall Corsa review.
When can I buy the new 2015 Vauxhall Corsa VXR?
Expect to see the hot hatch at the Geneva motor show in March 2015, with UK sales slated for not long after. Let’s call it early next summer.
The Corsa VXR will stick closely to the formula of previous fast Corsas, with a reworked version of the old car’s 1.6 turbo on the cards, driving the front wheels (which look like 18in items to us). The VXR’s athletic bodykit is plain to see: a chin spoiler up front, pronounced side skirts and a rear spoiler, twin exhausts and diffuser out back.
Spec, power… What’ll she do, mister?
No word yet on the power outputs of the Corsa VXR/OPC twins. But the outgoing hot hatch developed 190bhp and we’re not anticipating any big jumps in horsepower.
Instead, Vauxhall and Opel are planning to massage the torque figure upwards; the last-gen VXR Clubsport final edition produced 207lb ft, so expect a jump in pulling power.
With oodles of elastic twang from the turbocharged engine, that points to a flexible back-road tool. Let’s just hope the chassis can match the firepower – for the class-leading Ford Fiesta ST sets a high benchmark in driver involvement.
How much will the new Vauxhall Corsa VXR cost?
This is no radical repositioning, so expect prices to sit below the £20,000 threshold. The last model was £18,995 so a modest increase of a few hundred quid seems likely.
Click here to see more news and photos of the 2015 Vauxhall Corsa range.