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Company type | Division [1] |
---|---|
Industry |
|
Founded | Rüsselsheim, Germany (1997 ) [2] |
Defunct | 2022 |
Headquarters | Rüsselsheim, Germany |
Key people | Volker Strycek, Managing Director [1] |
Products |
|
Owner | Stellantis |
Parent | Opel |
Website | opel-opc.ie |
Opel Performance Center (OPC) was a division of the German automobile manufacturer Opel, initially set up as a subsidiary in 1997. [2] The main focus of OPC is the development of performance derivatives of the Opel range, such as the hot hatch Corsa OPC and Astra OPC.
With the Insignia B OPC Line being discontinued in 2022, the OPC sub-brand will be replaced by GSe, which now stands for Grand Sport electric. [3] [4]
The OPC name is also used in some motorsport activities such as the VLN. [5] In the United Kingdom, where Opel vehicles are sold under the Vauxhall marque, the VXR name is used instead. [6] Former DTM racer Volker Strycek is managing director of Opel Performance Center. [1]
Opel Performance Center GmbH was established in 1997. [2] The first OPC car was an Astra G launched in 1999.
Prior to OPC models, Opel used the Grand Sport Injection (GSi) designation in the mid 1980s and the end of the 1990s for its high performance and hot hatch derivatives. Opel has offered many GSi models, e.g. the Manta B GSi, Kadett E GSi or Astra F GSi. The last vehicle with the GSi moniker was the Corsa C GSi, which was offered in the Opel model range until 2004. After three years, Opel decided to use the GSi moniker for the Corsa D in 2007.
With the Insignia B OPC Line being discontinued in 2022, the OPC sub-brand will be replaced by GSe, which now stands for Grand Sport electric. [7] [8]
The retail versions developed by OPC are sold under the Opel brand, as special versions of the standard Opel vehicles. They are typically painted in a bright shade of blue, called Arden Blue (though other colours are available too). [9] Their competition in Europe are, e.g. the ST versions of Ford's European range and Volkswagen's GTI and R range. In the United Kingdom, Vauxhall's versions of OPC models are badged as VXR. [10]
OPC has developed the following special versions of Opel vehicles:
Over the fifteen years of existence, OPC presented the following concept cars:
In November 2012, Opel announced the formation of the "Astra OPC Cup" at the 2013 VLN. In racing configuration, the Astra OPC is equipped with various carbon fibre components and makes 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) and 400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft) of torque. [23]
OPC's corporate tagline is "OPC. Pure Passion". [22]
Opel Automobile GmbH, usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group prior to its merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in 2021. Most of the Opel lineup is marketed under the Vauxhall brand in the United Kingdom since the 1980s. Some Opel vehicles were badge-engineered in Australia under the Holden brand until 2020, in North America and China under the Buick, Saturn, and Cadillac brands, and in South America under the Chevrolet brand.
Vauxhall Motors is a British car company headquartered in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. Vauxhall became a subsidiary of Stellantis in January 2021, having previously been owned by General Motors since 1925.
The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. Over its eight generations, it has been made at several GM/Opel/Stellantis plants around Europe - however most versions have been sourced from Vauxhall's plant at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England.
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. As of 2021, the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Insignia large family car.
The Holden Astra is a small car formerly marketed by Holden. The first couple of generations of Astra were made only for Australia, and was a derivative of the locally produced Nissan Pulsar. With the Button car plan coming into effect, it was replaced by the Holden Nova, a rebadged Toyota Corolla.
The Opel Vectra is a mid-size car that was engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel from 1988 until 2010. Available in saloon, hatchback and estate body styles, the Vectra was also sold by the Vauxhall marque in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Cavalier from 1988 to 1995 and then as the Vauxhall Vectra from 1995 to 2008, and it was also sold by Holden in Australia as the Holden Vectra, by Chevrolet in Latin America as the Chevrolet Vectra.
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car that was sold primarily in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The first generation of Cavalier, launched in 1975 and produced until 1981, was Vauxhall's version of the General Motors 'U-Car' - essentially an Opel Ascona B/ Opel Manta with a few minor visual differences.
The Opel Zafira is a car manufactured and marketed across three generations between 1999 and 2019 by Opel. Based on the Opel Astra platform, it is developed to occupy the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment.
Epsilon is General Motors' mid-size front-wheel drive automobile platform. The architecture was a multi-division project of GM North America, Opel and Saab, and debuted in the 2002 Opel Vectra and 2003 Saab 9-3. Since this platform falls squarely in the center of the worldwide automobile market, GM plans to produce a great many Epsilon vehicles with over a dozen variations. As of 2005, it was GM's highest volume worldwide platform. Even after the dissolution of the GM/Fiat partnership, both companies retain the rights to continue developing Epsilon-derived models.
The Holden Barina is a subcompact automobile sold between 1985 and 2018 by Holden in Oceania. Each of the six generations have been badge-engineered versions of various General Motors vehicles, namely Suzuki Cultus, Opel Corsa, and Daewoo Kalos. Barina is an Australian aboriginal word meaning "summit".
The Circle L is an automobile engine produced by GM Powertrain Poland in Poland. It is a 1.7 L; 102.9 cu in (1,686 cc) inline-four 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine originally designed by Isuzu but now owned by General Motors. The engine was produced in Europe by General Motors for use in the Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet vehicles and by Honda for use in the Civic compact car.
The Opel Meriva is a car manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Opel on its Corsa platform, from May 2003 until June 2017 across two generations. Described as a mini MPV, it was marketed as the Vauxhall Meriva in the United Kingdom, while in Latin America, the first generation model was marketed as the Chevrolet Meriva.
The Chevrolet Celta, also known as the Suzuki Fun, is a low cost supermini car produced by Chevrolet for the Latin American market between 2000 and 2015. A sedan version is marketed as the Chevrolet Prisma. 600,000 Celtas have been built in Gravataí, more than one hundred thousand per year.
The GM Family I is a straight-four piston engine that was developed by Opel, a former subsidiary of General Motors and now a subsidiary of PSA Group, to replace the Vauxhall OHV, Opel OHV and the smaller capacity Opel CIH engines for use on small to mid-range cars from Opel/Vauxhall. The engine first appeared in the Opel Kadett D in 1979, and shortly afterwards in its Vauxhall badged sister – the Vauxhall Astra Mk.1 in 1980. Despite this, the previous Opel OHV engine continued to be sold in entry level versions of the Opel Kadett/Astra and Corsa throughout the 1980s.
VXR was the branding for the high performance trim specification, used since 2004 for models in many of Vauxhall's car range in the United Kingdom. Holden has also used the VXR badge for some of its high-performance cars such as the Astra VXR, Insignia VXR, and the Commodore VXR.
The Opel Insignia is a large family car developed and produced by the German car manufacturer Opel from 2008 to 2022. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship model, slotted above the Astra and Corsa in size. The Insignia serves as the successor to both the Signum and Vectra model lines, replacing both vehicles under a single nameplate. Currently in its second generation, the model line is offered in four-door sedan/saloon body styles, five-door liftback, and as a five-door station wagon/estate.
The Buick Verano is a compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM for the GM's Buick brand since 2010. It debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. It is the first compact marketed by Buick in the United States since the 1998 Buick Skylark. Verano is Spanish for summer.
The Opel Corsa is a supermini car manufactured and marketed by Opel since 1982 — as well as other brands, namely Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and Holden.
General Motors reused the T-body designation, beginning in 1979 with the front-wheel drive Opel Kadett D and the Vauxhall Astra Mk I. This was part of a global strategy by GM to introduce a new front-wheel drive architecture for its sub-compact models, and would be further developed into the J-body platform which would cover the compact size segment.
The Opel Kadett E was introduced in August 1984 as the sixth generation of the Opel Kadett, and was voted the 1985 European Car of the Year. As with its predecessor, it was sold as the Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom. This model was also developed into a more conventional three-box design with a boot (trunk), badged as the Vauxhall Belmont in the United Kingdom, launched at Frankfurt Motor Show in 1985. There was a station wagon called the "Caravan", available with either three or five doors. In South Africa, the Kadett notchback was sold as the Opel Monza, along with a convertible. This replaced the Opel Ascona.
To remind us of all these numbers and provide new interesting information on the Astra OPC, Opel had the boss of its OPC performance division, Volker Strycek, talk us through the most important features of the hot Astra.
1997: início de actividade do Opel Performance Centre GmbH (OPC)
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