New Astra VXR spy video

By Paul Bond

03rd May 2011

Our spies have caught Vauxhall's flagship hot hatch testing at the 'ring! This latest video is also the closest we've come to seeing what the new Astra VXR is capable of on track.

Dubbed the Opel GTC OPC in Europe, the VXR's design is strikingly similar to the three-door GTC, with the same swept back shape accentuated by bigger wheels and lowered suspension.

Despite extensive camouflage, large Brembo brakes can be seen through the wheels too, and it looks like they're getting some serious abuse, as well as cross-drilled discs and a new exhaust system, with wide tailpipes on either side of the bumper.

Although nothing has been officially confirmed by Vauxhall, this new model is likely to be around 30 percent more powerful than the previous generation, courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with close to 300bhp, taking it close to Ford's extreme Focus RS.