Vivamus non purus orci, a accumsan risus. Vivamus interdum fringilla est sit amet volutpat. Curabitur adipiscing porttitor mi, sed dictum magna lacinia sed. Nam quis tellus lectus. Etiam consequat consectetur massa, laoreet cursus lorem mattis ut. Donec lacus elit, feugiat vitae consequat eget, sollicitudin non...
Morbi diam turpis, tristique a sollicitudin eget, sodales viverra nibh. Phasellus tortor tortor, convallis sit amet congue luctus, aliquam eu magna. Sed tristique eleifend tempus. Sed pulvinar luctus dui, at rhoncus mauris imperdiet sed. Proin varius sem et eros gravida nec tincidunt nisl mollis. Vestibulum...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed at scelerisque libero. Mauris euismod est vel risus venenatis vel congue massa interdum. Duis faucibus eleifend ultrices. Praesent vitae justo risus. Morbi erat nunc, rhoncus dapibus sodales eget, fringilla eget nisl. In commodo, diam sed pulvinar...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed at scelerisque libero. Mauris euismod est vel risus venenatis vel congue massa interdum. Duis faucibus eleifend ultrices. Praesent vitae justo risus. Morbi erat nunc, rhoncus dapibus sodales eget, fringilla eget nisl. In commodo, diam sed pulvinar...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed at scelerisque libero. Mauris euismod est vel risus venenatis vel congue massa interdum. Duis faucibus eleifend ultrices. Praesent vitae justo risus. Morbi erat nunc, rhoncus dapibus sodales eget, fringilla eget nisl. In commodo, diam sed pulvinar...
Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.
Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.
It is really hard to believe, but a 27-year old man from The Netherlands plowed his parents house with his car after an argument. According to press reports from the local media, the man left his house and returned later in the day but not the way his parents were expecting as he picked up speed in his 1990s Opel Calibra sports coupe and drove or rather flew into the living room of his house!
Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in the rage-induced incident. The police arrested the young man who is now facing several charges. Check out the aftermath of the crash in the video after the break.
Across the pond, General Motors is upping the ante in the popular compact MPV sector with the introduction of Opel’s third generation Zafira model that will go on sale in most European countries this autumn. The production version of Opel’s Geneva show concept will also wear Vauxhall’s badges with the first cars to reach UK showrooms by early 2012.
We have already brought you the news and the first batch of photos in our previous post (see here), but now we have also obtained the launch film showing Opel’s people carrier on the move.
General Motors’ Opel division is getting ready to take the wraps off the all-new Astra GTC as the company released the first official renderings and a video of the production model shown in a virtual landscape.
The new sharp looking, three-door version of the Astra, will be revealed in the flesh and in detail in just six week’s time, on June 7, well ahead of its world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, on September 15. Both Opel and its sister company in the UK, Vauxhall, will begin accepting orders in the summer with first deliveries expected this fall.
The following accident took place on a Scottish motorway near Aberdeen and was captured by a “black box” GPS/video system mounted on a semi-trailer truck. From what we can tell, the Vauxhall Corsa entered the highway on the wrong side and drove towards oncoming traffic like a kamikaze, taking a truck driver completely by surprise.Read more »
Ah, the ‘70s. We had the Oil Crisis and Watergate, microwave ovens and VCRs, Maggie Thatcher and Jimmy Carter. As for cars, well: there were the greats like the Lamborghini Countach, Datsun 240Z and the Dodge Charger. Then there were the not-so-greats like the AMC Pacer, Chevy Chevette and the Ford Mustang Cobra II.
It was the decade that brought us The French Connection, Gone in 60 Seconds and Smokey and the Bandit. It also brought us a relatively unknown (well, to my –ahem- clearly sophisticated tastes) French film called Le Casse (The Burglars).
Oh sure, Bullitt had Steve McQueen in a Mustang and Goldfinger had Sean Connery in a DB5, but you ain’t ever seen a film so brazen to put Omar Sharif behind the wheel of...an Opel Rekord. Well, he is the villain. Surely our hero, Jean-Paul Belmondo, will get to drive something a bit smarter.
Opel tuning specialist Steinmentz has revealed a bevy of parts for the new Astra Sports Tourer. The German firm’s offerings include aerodynamic components, a lowering kit, alloy wheels and styling elements. Read more »
These are the first videos of Opel's new Zafira Tourer Concept, which will receive its grand premiere at next week's 2011 Geneva Salon. The first clip focuses on the relaxing "lounge atmosphere" found within the interior of the minivan, something that Opel highlighted more than anything else in the car's press release, while the second video showcases the new Flex7 seating concept. Hit the break to watch both clips for yourself.Read more »
Opel chose a rather unique way to inform us about its new concept model that previews the next generation of the Zafira people carrier, and which is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Geneva Salon in March. The company published a short video accompanied by a photograph showing the firm's design boss Mark Adams holding an iPad through which a hologram of the concept car pops out. Read more »
Having already published a whole bunch of photos and information on the 2010 Meriva, Opel and sister brand Vauxhall came out with a couple of videos of their newest entry in the small MPV segment that will have its world premiere at the Geneva Salon in March.
The practical five-seater model with suicide rear doors will be offered with six turbocharged diesel and gasoline engines, spanning from 75HP to 140HP. Watch both videos after the break.
Chevrolet isn't the only brand in the GM Group playing around with vivid colors and special editions that hark back to models of the 60s and 70s. So is the firm's European division Opel that has released a new exclusive edition of the Corsa supermini called 'Color Race' inspired from the late 1960s - early 1970s Rallye Kadett B Sprint.
However, unlike the sporty Kadett that combined exclusive styling cues with performance enhancements, the Corsa Color Race's upgrades are limited to cosmetic upgrades.
The three-door Color Race is available with a choice of three exterior finishes - Sunny Melon Yellow color, Casablanca White and Magma Red- and comes with a standard black hood as well as side and tailgate appliqués with a checkered flag motif, black painted roof and black 17-inch alloy wheels.
The special edition model's interior features matching color highlights such as special seat stitching and vent bezels, a Panorama sunroof and a leather-clad steering wheel.
The Corsa Color Race is offered with the same range of engines as the other 2010 Corsa models including the new 1.4-liter gasoline unit with 87HP or 100HP and the 130HP 1.7-liter CDTI turbo diesel that returns a combined fuel consumption of just 4.5-liter per 100 km or 52.3 mpg US.
Pricing in Germany starts from €15,560 or at today's exchange rates, approximately US$22,500.
Those of you that have followed the WRC the past few decades will surely remember the Opel Ascona 400, the last rear-wheel drive rally car to win the driver's World Championship in 1982 with Walter Röhrl before the iconic Audi Coupe Quattro paved the way for all-wheel drive models.
Fast-forward almost thirty years, and the (road-going) Ascona's spiritual successor, the Insignia (2010 Buick Regal in the States), is now offered with an Adaptive 4x4 system as an option on the 220HP 2.0-liter and standard on the 2.8 V6 Turbo and OPC models.
In this promo video, the 2.4-liter Ascona 400 Rally Car is pitched against the Insignia 4x4 in a race on ice. Behind the steering wheel of the Ascona 400 is rally legend Christian Geistdörfer while the modern-day Insignia is driven by racing talent Sina Winkelhock, daughter of Jockel Winkelhock.
Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood. 
