Opel Performance Center (OPC) is a division of the German
automobile manufacturer
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industry ...
Opel
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 Grou ...
, initially set up as a subsidiary in 1997.
The main focus of OPC is the development of performance derivatives of the Opel range, such as the
hot hatch
A hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance hatchback car.
The term originated in the mid-1980s; however, factory high-performance versions of hatchbacks have been produced since the 1970s.
Front-mounted petrol engines, ...
Corsa OPC and Astra OPC.
The OPC name is also used in some motorsport activities such as the
VLN. In the United Kingdom, where Opel vehicles are sold under the Vauxhall marque, the
VXR
VXR is 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, I ...
name is used instead. Former
DTM racer
Volker Strycek
Volker Strycek (born 13 October 1957 in Essen) is a German racecar driver and automobile manager.
In 1984 he became the first Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft champion, driving a BMW 635 CSi, without winning a race. He did not win a DTM race e ...
is managing director of Opel Performance Center.
History
Opel Performance Center GmbH was established in 1997.
[ 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
A hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance hatchback car.
The term originated in the mid-1980s; however, factory high-performance versions of hatchbacks have been produced since the 1970s.
Front-mounted petrol engines, ...
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''.
OPC models
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). Their competition in Europe are, e.g. the ST versions of Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
's European range and Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
's GTI and R range. In the United Kingdom, Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
's versions of OPC models are badged as VXR.
Previous models
OPC has developed the following special versions of Opel vehicles:
*1998–2004 Opel Vectra – a version of the sedan and hatchback.
*1999–2004 Opel Astra G OPC – a version of the three door hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
and five door station wagon (Caravan) Astra G which has a 2.0 litre engine with and a 2.0 litre turbo engine with .
* 2001–2006 Opel Zafira A OPC – a version of the Opel Zafira A compact MPV which has a 2.0 litre turbo engine with .
* 2005–2011 Opel Astra H OPC – again, based on the three door Astra, this time the three door hatchback (GTC) version of the Astra H.
* 2005–2010 Opel Zafira B OPC – a version of the Opel Zafira B compact MPV.
* 2005–2008 Opel Vectra C OPC – a version of the Opel Vectra C five door liftback (GTS) and five door station wagon (Caravan).
* 2006–2010 Opel Meriva A OPC – a version of the Opel Meriva
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, w ...
mini MPV.
* 2007–2014 Opel Corsa D OPC – a version of the Opel Corsa D three door hatchback, which has a 1.6 litre turbo engine with .
*2009–2017 Opel Insignia OPC – a version of the Opel Insignia
The Opel Insignia is a large family car (D-segment in Europe) developed and produced by the German car manufacturer Opel since 2008. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship Opel car line, slotted above the ...
five door liftback, four door saloon and five door station wagon (Sports Tourer) which has a 2.8 litre V6 turbo engine with and standard all wheel drive.
*2012–2015 Opel Astra J OPC – a version of the Opel Astra GTC compact sports car which has a 2.0 litre turbo engine with .
*2014–2019 Opel Corsa E OPC – a version of the Opel Corsa E three door hatchback.
File:Opel_astra_G_3T_opc.jpg, Opel Astra G OPC
File:Opel_astra_CRVN_opc.jpg, Opel Astra G OPC Caravan
File:Opel_zafira_A__opc1.jpg, Opel Zafira A OPC
File:Opel_astra_H_3T_opc.jpg, Opel Astra H OPC
File:Opel_zafira_B_opc.jpg, Opel Zafira B OPC
File:Opel Vectra.JPG, Opel Vectra C OPC
File:Opel_vectra_CRVN_opc.jpg, Opel Vectra C OPC Caravan (facelift)
File:Opel_meriva_opc.jpg, Opel Meriva A OPC
File:Corsa OPC Nürburgring Edition.jpg, Opel Corsa D OPC (facelift)
File:2012 Opel Astra (AS) OPC 3-door hatchback (15922355098).jpg, Opel Astra J OPC
File:Opel Insignia OPC 2015 (15805462541).jpg, Opel Insignia OPC (facelift)
File:Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer.jpg, Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer (facelift)
Concept cars
Over the fifteen years of existence, OPC presented the following concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
s:
* 2001 Opel Astra Coupe OPC X-Treme – based on the DTM V8 powered version of the Opel Astra Coupe.
* 2002 Opel Corsa OPC – a very production ready version of the three door Opel Corsa C
The Opel Corsa is a supermini car engineered and produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel since 1982. Throughout its existence, it has been sold under a variety of other brands owned by General Motors (most notably Vauxhall Motors, Va ...
that, however, never made it to production.
* 2003 Opel Vectra OPC – contrary to the commercial Vectra OPC, this one was based on the pre facelift Vectra GTS and was powered by a tuned 1.9 CDTI engine.
* 2004 Opel Astra High Performance Concept – a study version of the later 2005 Opel Astra H OPC, but painted in "power red".
* 2014 Opel Astra J OPC EXTREME – a super sports car version of the Opel Astra J GTC.
Motorsport
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
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
components and makes and of torque.
Slogans
OPC's corporate tagline is "OPC. Pure Passion".
See also
*Irmscher
Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider.
It was founded i ...
* Steinmetz Opel Tuning
*VXR
VXR is 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, I ...
*VX Racing
Triple Eight Racing was a motorsports team formed in 1996 as Triple Eight Race Engineering, which competed in the British Touring Car Championship and the British GT Championship.
The team's original focus was to design, build and race Vaux ...
*Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was the officially designated performance vehicle division for Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the privately owned company modified Holden models such as the standard wheelbase Commodore, ...
References
External links
Opel-OPC (Ireland)
Opel Motorsport website (German)
{{Automotive industry in Germany
Opel subsidiaries
Automotive companies established in 1997
Official motorsports and performance division of automakers
German racecar constructors