Opel Astra GTC spied on the Nurburgring Nordschleife for first time

A heavily-camouflaged 2011 Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTC was spied while testing on the Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring earlier this week.  The next-gen Astra GTC prototype looks similar, but sports a different number plate than the car seen a few days ago.

Though padded, it appears the next Astra GTC will have a better integrated roofline, and smoother fender flares, than the current model.  Recent speculation suggests that the 2011 Astra coupe in OPC guise will use a top-shelf 300-horsepower (224 kW / 304 PS) engine, almost 27 percent more robust than the strongest engine currently available.

Look for the 2011 Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTC to have a new exhaust, marked by dual exhaust pipes at the back.  The car is likely to remain a front-wheel drive model.