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Look no mirrors! Vauxhall reveals GT Concept for sports cars

Vauxhall GT Concept
Vauxhall GT Concept

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28 January 2016

Key features of  the new GT Concept from Vauxhall/Opel

  • Turbocharged, front mid-engined, rear-wheel drive with sequential gearbox
  • 0-62mph in under 8sec, top speed 134mph
  • Cameras replace mirrors
  • Touchpad ‘handles’ for electric doors
  • World premiere at Geneva Motorshow

THIS makes you stop and look! Sleek, stunning and ready to do the business!

And from the creativity of Brit Mark Adams, this GT Concept futuristic real sportscar – front mid-engined, turbocharged and rear-wheel drive – is the concept shape of future Vauxhall and Opel sports cars.

While the long bonnet, central dual exhausts and lack of a boot-lid are all shared with the brands’ concepts of half a century ago – the Vauxhall XVR and Opel Experimental GT – there is nothing retro about today’s GT Concept.

No mirrors or door handles, this car of the future is unashamedly forward-thinking and is guaranteed to pull crowds and production demands when it breaks cover at the Geneva International Motorshow (March 3-13).

But sporty as its profile is, this dream machine’s prospects won’t be sidelined by a ridiculously antisocial and uninsurable powerplant.

Beneath its stretched bonnet is a powerful 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine, based on the all-aluminium unit used in the ADAM, Corsa and Astra. Developing 145PS and maximum torque of 205Nm, the engine drives the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift.

Weighing under 1,000kg, the GT Concept accelerates from 0-62mph in under 8secs and on to a maximum speed of 134mph.

Mark Adams, vice president of Design Europe, says: “We created the GT Concept to capture the bold, emotional spirit of both the Vauxhall and Opel brands.

“It is dramatic, sculptural and full of innovations, which is our great tradition that we intend to continue. In the mid-Sixties, Vauxhall and Opel created their own interpretations of a light-weight sports car – the XVR and the Experimental GT – both of which were thoroughly modern with dynamic sculptural forms.

“It’s certainly difficult to reinvent iconic concepts like these, but just as each was avant-garde back then, so too is this GT Concept today – absolutely pure, minimalistic, yet bold and uncompromising. This coupe impressively demonstrates the continuous development of our design philosophy.”

Innovative features include:

  • Electric doors opened by roof touchpads
  • Doors have integrated side windows
  • Cameras behind front wheel arches display images on twin monitors on dash

A key innovation of the GT Concept is its large doors with integrated side windows that show a seamless transition from glass to painted surfaces. Both driver and front passenger can enter the spacious interior after pressing a touchpad for the electric doors that is integrated in the red signature line of the roof.

The doors cleverly open into the front arches, using a space-saving and patented mounting that allows a large opening angle for tight parking spaces in urban areas.

No mirrors? Two cameras mounted behind the wheel arches offer enhanced visibility, especially in city driving. They transmit their images to two monitors on the left- and right-hand side of the cabin, rendering traditional external mirrors obsolete.

The windscreen flows into a glass panorama roof, affording occupants a similar experience to that of a targa-topped car.

Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director Rory Harvey summarised what the GT Concept meant to both brands: “It shows what Vauxhall and Opel stand for now – ambitious and confident brands that are not frightened to innovate.”

Built to showcase Vauxhall’s design innovation and autonomy in the mid-Sixties, the XVR project was managed by the legendary Wayne Cherry at Luton. The XVR (Xperimental Vauxhall Research) had a simple purity of line, gull-wing doors forming a unique split windscreen, a clam-shell bonnet and pop-up headlights.

The distinctive red tyres – mounted on rims with a ‘roller-skate’ design – are a reference to an iconic Opel motorbike from the 1920s – the Motoclub 500 – which had red rubber

But while it never reached production, Opel’s Experimental GT did. First shown at the Frankfurt Show in 1965, it broke the mould for European concept cars. A sleek and low-slung coupe, the Experimental GT three years later rolled out as the Opel GT.

Fifty years later, the GT Concept again showcases Vauxhall and Opel’s pioneering spirits. The car’s red signature line splits the vehicle body horizontally and proportions it.

The distinctive red tyres – mounted on rims with a ‘roller-skate’ design – are a reference to an iconic Opel motorbike from the 1920s – the Motoclub 500 – which had red rubber.

And while the long bonnet, central dual exhausts and lack of a boot-lid are all shared with both the Vauxhall XVR and Opel Experimental GT, today’s GT Concept is unashamedly forward-thinking, with no retro references.

The GT Concept sees intelligent lighting based on Vauxhall/Opel’s award-winning IntelliLux LED matrix lighting first seen in the latest Astra move on to the next stage of development.

The design of the lights is completed by the three-dimensional design of the tail lamps.

Vauxhall GT concept rear
Vauxhall GT concept rear featuring twin exhausts

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