Chevrolet Ultra

Chevrolet hasn’t had the best of welcomes in Europe. With the demise of Daewoo, the US badge was thrust on to some unexciting products that didn’t live up to its name. But the Ultra is a machine to be proud of. It looks fantastic – blending a US muscle car’s sportiness with a compact package for European tastes. If the driving experience, quality and price are right, the finished model could be a real winner!

The moment has arrived! Chevrolet’s first-ever muscle car for Britain has hit the road – and Auto Express didn’t waste any time in getting behind the wheel!

The amazing Ultra WTCC is officially a £1million, one-off concept that wowed the crowds at this month’s Paris Motor Show. However, Auto Express can reveal that the Focus-sized machine has been designed as a first step in the brand’s reinvention here in the UK.

With a production version that’s set to look virtually identical to the concept going on sale in 2008, the newcomer is primed to cause a real stir in the compact family hatch market. Penned by 25-year-old British designer Ewan Kingsbury, the Ultra WTCC has exactly the kind of styling the firm has craved, featuring a steeply raked screen, minimal overhangs and chunky panels.

There’s plenty of neat detailing, too. Check out the rear diffuser, carbon fibre spoilers and elliptical tail-lights. If it looks a bit familiar, that’s because some inspiration has been taken from GM’s original Vauxhall Astra concept, the GTC.

“We wanted to combine an MPV-style front with the GTC package and five doors,” says Kingsbury. “The result conveys Chevy’s brand language with better visibility and more room than the GTC.”

But how much will be translated to the production car? Spies tell us the Ultra is 80 per cent accurate; take off the spoilers and bulging wheelarches, and you have the showroom-ready car. Once you’ve clambered through the roll cage, you’re wedged into a narrow racing seat. The cabin is stripped-out with the dash covered in rubberised paint.

A mix of GM engines will power the production machine, but the Ultra gets a modified 190bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel from the Captiva off-roader, which drives the front wheels through a six-speed sequential box. Press the starter button and the gruff oil-burner rumbles into life, sending huge vibrations through the cabin. All essential information is displayed on screens on the steering wheel.

With everything warmed up, it is time to pull back on the gearlever, slip the sharp clutch and head out on to the circuit – which, for our drive, was ex-Formula One venue Estoril in Portugal. In true touring car style, you sit far back next to the B-pillar. This, combined with thick A-pillars, means the Ultra is intimidating at first. But once you’ve got used to things, it’s clear the engine provides plenty of poke; it was not long before we were up to fourth gear on Estoril’s back straight.

The Ultra feels a little strange going through corners – the steering constantly tugs left and right – but then, it isn’t a racer, it’s a show car. The fact that it drives at all is a remarkable achievement; many concepts don’t.

Chevrolet has high hopes for this model. Based on the next-generation Astra platform, it may even feature sophisticated multi-link rear suspension, so it should offer a sporty yet comfortable drive. We’ll get our first glimpse of the road car at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show – and we can’t wait!