Longtime Opel tuner Irmscher has expanded its 2010 Astra offerings with the launch of 20-inch alloy wheels that are available in various designs and can be wrapped in 235/35 R20 tires. The new rims complement the tuner’s styling package that was first introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and includes 18-inch alloys and a body kit with a new grille, front lip spoiler, rear apron with a diffuser, side skirts and a roof spoiler.

Buyers can also upgrade the new Astra with a sport exhaust system with two or four tail pipes and a suspension kit that lowers the car’s ride height by 30mm for a sportier stance.

On the inside, Irmscher’s offerings include a leather package for the seats, door panels and central armrests, matt aluminium door-locking pins and sport pedals.

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In: Carscoop

Here we have the fastest Opel built by the tuning company Steinmetz, the street legal Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC. Setting a new top speed record of 287.4 km/h, the new Opel Insignia accomplished this staggering number in October during a test run at the Nardo ring in Italy. The track in Italy allows the driver to reach the cars maximum speed, without ever having to turn the wheels, thanks to its large 12 kilometer oval circuit. Tuning the performance outside the engine bay, Steinmetz installed a custom aerodynamic kit that included new front and rear spoilers, side skirts, and a new front grille. The Opel Insignia also received a sport suspension kit, along with 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels, and a few extra chrome features for the exterior.

Under the hood is where the true performance lies, with a larger turbocharger, upgraded intercooler, and a high performance exhaust system from Klasen Motors. Extra modifications to the car include upgraded fuel injectors with the well known Steinmetz ECU tuning. The final performance numbers show the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC developed 400 hp, and 550 Nm of torque. Pricing from Steinmetz has not yet been released at this time.

In: carsroute

The first official photos of Opel’s high-performance Insignia OPC are finally out in the open. The new sports sedan from GM’s European unit that will be sold in the UK under the name Vauxhall Insignia VXR has been designed to compete against the likes of the Audi S4 and its ilk. However, it is expected that the Insignia OPC will be priced lower than most of its rivals. The top-grade Insignia comes with a specially modified version of GM’s 2.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that produces a satisfying 325HP and 400Nm of torque channeled to all four wheels.

The first ever four-wheel drive Opel OPC model also benefits from a new electronically controlled, rear limited slip differential (eLSD) which can transfer up to 40% of torque to whichever (rear) wheel has more grip. This is the same system that is used on the Saab 9-3 Turbo X.

Four-wheel drive system and eLSD aside, Opel’s engineers have also fiddled around with the Insignia’s suspension system as well as with the brakes. Stopping power is now provided by a set of Brembo vented and cross drilled discs.

Opel claims that it’s hot Insignia can accelerate from standstill to 60mph (96km/h in 5.8 seconds (0 to 100km/h in 6.0 seconds) and reach an electronically limited top speed of 155mph or 250 km/h. In comparison, the Audi S4 with its 333HP 3.0 TFI V6 goes from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 5.1 seconds, almost a second faster than the OPC.

If you liked the standard Insignia’s appereance -and we don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t- then you’re going to love the OPC. Without going haywire, the German manufacturer’s styling team beefed up the Insignia’s looks with a new front bumper with tear-like air scoops at both corners that is directly inspired from the GTC coupe concept, side sills, a discreet boot lid spoiler and a new rear bumper that houses two large matte chrome tailpipes. The package is rounded off with newly designed 19-inch alloys while buyers will also be able to opt for 20-inch wheels.

Inside, the OPC gains a set of Recaro front seats, a new three-spoke leather steering wheel and a different gearknob for the six-speed gearbox plus a redesigned instrument cluster.

Sales of the new Opel Insignia OPC are scheduled to begin in Europe this summer.

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In: Carscoop

In spite of media stories alluding to General Motors reconsidering the performance divisions of its brands, Opel seems to have the go-ahead for the Insignia OPC. Granted there was no official word on this regarding Europe’s Opel Performance Centre (OPC).

Kit seen on the big OPC includes Brembo brakes, a small OPC badge on the front doors and big exhaust pipes. From the looks of things this is a car that is pretty much complete, aside from the bumpers.

The previous family performance sports sedan from Opel was the Vectra which campaigned using a 2.8-litre V6 turbo engine to make 188 kW (255 hp). The natural assumption is that the production Insignia OPC will top this figure and go over 191kW (260hp).

Currently the most powerful Insignia in the range is the petrol turbo V6. We should soon see the vehicle at one of the upcoming international motor shows.

Source: motorpasion.com via carscoop.blogspot.com

After patent leaks and a fantastic job by spy photographers, Opel has officially unveiled their version of the Chevrolet Volt called the Ampera.

Unlike the Holden Volt which was relieved last week, the new Ampera features unique styling which has a definite Euro-flair. The exterior is dominated by a futuristic design that has an interesting boomerang headlight arraignment, sleek aerodynamics, and a bold Opel grille. From the rear, the Ampera has a sporty design that features a large horizontal chrome bar that ties together the taillight units, twin vertical outboard slots, and bold looking trim where a diffuser would normally reside.

The five-door four seat Ampera continues the space-age theme on the interior as it features a dark take on the Chevy Volt’s iPod-appearance. One of the cabin’s key features is a the use of Dark Argent Metallic paint on the center stack which creates a sporty appearance that mixes well with the cabin’s Jet Black interior and Spice Red accents. Other interior features include an integrated shifter, two information displays, a touch-sensitive infotainment center, and an odd electric design theme on the door panels.

Power for the Ampera comes from GM’s Voltec Propulsion System which uses a 111 kW electric drive unit and a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery which allows the car to travel up to 60 km on electricity alone before a small petrol powered engine kicks in to recharge the battery. This combination allows the Ampera to have a range up to 500 kilometers before needing to be refueled or recharged from any 230v household outlet. The Ampera’s electric drive unit delivers 370 Nm of torque and about 150 horsepower which enables the car to travel from zero to 100 km/h in around nine seconds, and hit a top speed of 161 km/h.

Considering that 80% of German drivers travel less than 50 km a day and the fact that the Ampera’s operating cost will be about one-fifth of that associated with a conventional gasoline vehicle, the new model has the potential to attract a lot of attention when the car goes into production in 2011.

Source: World Car Fans

The Opel Ampera is meant to be the European version of the Chevy Volt. Provided that GM and Opel survive long enough to execute that conversion and get either of those models to market.

Here’s a teaser image of the Ampera as it will be debuting on March 3rd (for two press days) at the Geneva motor show. (The show opens to the public on the March 5th).

The Ampera is a 5-door, 4-seat hatch powered by GM’s Voltec plug-in hybrid system and is said to have a range of 60 km running solely on the lithium-ion battery. An internal combustion engine acts as a generator to re-charge the batteries which GM/Opel claims will give the car an impressive extended range of 500 km. The Ampera’s battery can be re-charged through any 230 volt electrical outlet.

Design on the Ampera’s production version will likely be close to what we’ve seen from images that have been released so far and the spy shots from a couple of weeks ago. Of note are the obvious design cues taken from the Flexstream concept, as well as the Opel Insignia which late last year won European Car the Year award, showing that the Ampera is aiming for a veritable Opel styling identity making it far less likely to be seen simply as a re-badged Chevy Volt.

The Ampera is slated for launch in Europe in 2011.

 Source: Opel