Opel reveals 326bhp Astra racer

Remember that mad, slightly unhinged Golf touring car we showed you a few weeks ago?

Opel has hit back with this: a mad, slightly unhinged Astra touring car, set to race in the Touring Car Racer International Series (TCR). And as you can see, it’s not entirely real just yet.

Nope, Opel has released a few renders of what the car will look like, along with just one, important detail: it will come equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 326bhp and 302lb ft of torque. Exactly the same as that Golf TCR.

Nothing more has been revealed, because the car is currently in development. A cursory glance across the render, though, will tell you it’ll be wider, lower, and boast a lovely rear wing.

“Touring car racing has always been an important part of Opel,” said Opel Group CMO Tina Müller. “The philosophy of the new TCR series corresponds to our idea of customer racing.

“We want to give ambitious privately owned teams a platform for exciting sport at reasonable costs,” Müller added.

Full details will be announced later this year, and testing of the Astra TCR is expected to start in October. Better get a move on, because VW’s Golf TCR is already in testing, and has already won in its first competitive outing.

Game on.