UK tuner Thorney Motorsport has come up with its own set of recipes for a proper Vauxhall/Opel. It has taken both the Astra and Corsa VXR versions, sold in the rest of Europe as the Astra or Corsa OPC, and tossed them into the mixer along with a few additional spices and come up with something that puts the hauling back in Vauxhall.
Not to confuse things, but both hatches come in two variants. One VXR-S version, 'Sport', and another VXR-R, a racing version.
First, there's the "track focused" Astra VXR-R. It comes with Opel's 2.0 liter, turbocharged engine tuned to 300 hp. A racing suspension that is 40 mm lower than the standard version is added along with a limited slip differential, and large disc racing brakes with four piston callipers. The numbers look good, 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds (96 km/h) and a top speed of 170 mph (273 km/h).
The Corsa VXR-R gets the same suspension and brake treatment as the Astra and her little 1.6 turbo is pumped up to an impressive 230 hp. She makes the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.4 seconds and speed tops out at 160 mph (257 km/h).
After that, well, the Sport versions are made to look tame. But they still hold respectable numbers. The Astra only loses 20 hp, coming down to 280 and slows by a mere .2 seconds. The Corsa's 1.6 turbo still churns out 220 hp. They both keep their race suspension, 30 mm lower, but only get upgraded brake pads, 18 inch alloy wheels and a new sport exhaust system.
Get your orders in early, though. Thorney Motorsport will be making only 25 models of each version available.
