Vauxhall has revealed the GT Concept, a car that is said to provide a vision of the brand?s future sports cars.
The concept will form the centrepiece of the Opel/Vauxhall stand at the Geneva Motor Show when it is unveiled on 1st March.
Signature points on the concept are a minimalistic form lacking even door handles or mirrors, the car?s creators describing it as ?purebred, pared-down yet unashamedly avant-garde?.
The basis is a front mid-engined rear-wheel-drive chassis for the most effective handling, with power coming from a turbocharged three-cylinder engine of only 1-litre and based on the all-aluminium unit available in Vauxhall?s ADAM, Corsa and Astra models.
In the GT Concept the engine produces 143bhp and 151lbft of torque, put through a paddle-shift six-speed sequential transmission and which thanks to the car?s low weight of less than 1000kg. translates to a 0-62mph time of under eight seconds and a 134mph maximum speed. Such figures suggest that a production GT could be aimed at rivalling the likes of Mazda?s MX-5 as a car pitched on its fun-to-drive character. It measures up at around the same size with the same mechanical layout, but with a fixed roof.
The GT Concept is said to encapsulate the ?Sculptural Artistry meets Technical Precision? philosophy of Vauxhall/Opel design head Mark Adams, and its name is a revival of one used on the styling model to emerge from the Luton-based Vauxhall Design & Engineering Centre that opened in 1964.
The car is also sai...