Opel News

“We welcome all that has been done by its talented teams and the beautiful Opel and Vauxhall brands and the exceptional heritage of the company. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalising

PSA and GM have collaborated on projects in the past, as seen most recently with the Peugeot 2008-based Opel Crossland X.

Peter Brock fans are in for a rare treat at Shannons Autumn auction on Monday, May 30. Almost 10 years after the King of the Mountain’s shock death, collectors are lining up to bid on a 1984 VK Commodore SS Group 3 Sedan that was Brocky’s personal transport during his stint at HDT Special Vehicles.The VK SS was originally a GM-H company car provided to Peter Brock as a his personal vehicle, which he then converted into the first Group Three in August 1984.It was used for the official press release and studio photography and appeared on the cover of Wheels magazine in October 1984.As confirmed in a letter from Peter Brock the car was subsequently sold to HDT and Brock himself continued to use the car as his personal transport, with the wheels changed and the bonnet scoop deleted.Because of its significance Shannons expect the Commodore to sell for upwards of $100,000.But, in a double header, there’s probably even more interest in a 1984 Opel Monza Coupe that Brock was developing as the prototype of a future HDT Special Vehicle.This unique piece of Australian motoring history is the only survivor of the stillborn Monza project, a glimpse of what might have been and a wonderfully collectible muscle car.The story goes that Brock was inspired by his loan of an Opel Monza coupe while he was racing at Le Mans in 1981.He found the fastback Opel an altogether more sophisticated machine than its Commodore cousin.With disc brakes all round and fully independent rear suspension, Brock was quick to recognise the potential for enhancing the Monza’s performance with some real Aussie grunt and a car was secured from Germany in October 1983 for the full HDT treatment.This included a 5.0-litre V8 to Group Three specification positioned further back in the chassis for better weight distribution (the bent eight actually proved lighter than the in-line six it replaced), a Borg-Warner T5G five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering and a limited-slip diff.Bigger brakes and stiffer suspension completed the list of mechanical upgrades.The press heaped praise on the prototype, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as “the most exciting car to emerge from an Australian workshop in recent years”.With a projected price of around $45,000, the HDT Monza was aimed at an exclusive market, with production vehicles slated to have a long list of standard luxury equipment.Despite the pleading of journalists and public alike, the HDT Monza remained a one-off due to time constraints and other projects, eventually passing into private hands.It’s expected to fetch up to $120,000 while its Brock 1 number plates will be sold separately.

The $25 hamburger shows how much people — some people — are prepared to pay for premium.

Supercars stole the limelight this year but the surge of small SUVs was the news behind the hype.

Opel GT concept: from Geneva motor show to a Holden showroom near you

A five-seat van with a swirly colour scheme and roof racks to carry surfboards is set to be the Holden Sandman of the future.

Opel has revealed its revamped Astra hatch ahead of the model’s Frankfurt motor show debut in September.Following the recent return of the current Astra GTC and VXR to Holden showrooms, an Australian version of the new bread and butter could also be on the cards, and if it were to be sold as a Holden it would likely share showroom space with the next-generation Cruze, a car which occupies a very similar space in the small car segment. The next-gen Cruze is set to be available only as a sedan initially, leaving room for a mid-size hatch in the Holden range.Styling will be another factor to differentiate the Astra from the Cruze, with the new European model offering a sharp and athletic design with well-defined lines. The Astra boasts an aggressive look with a heavily contoured front end, blacked out C-pillars and slick head and taillights. Similarly, the interior looks to feature upgraded materials compared with the sixth-generation Astra which was sold in Australia by Opel until it pulled the pin in 2013. The button-heavy layout of the outgoing Astra has also been replaced by a much cleaner design with an eight-inch touchscreen display featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The Astra boasts an aggressive look with a heavily contoured front end, blacked out C-pillars and slick head and taillights.Despite being physically smaller in almost every way than its predecessor, Opel claim the new Astra actually carries more interior volume with an additional 35mm of rear legroom. The seventh-generation model is 50mm shorter and 26mm lower with a 2mm shorter wheelbase than the car it replaces. The reduction in size combined with a brand new lightweight architecture result in a car that’s up to 200kg lighter than the one it replaces. The new body shell alone accounts for almost half of the weight loss, while clever subframes, axles and suspension components account for further reductions. Opel has confirmed three engines thus far for the new Astra, including a 70kW 1.6-litre turbodiesel, a 77kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol and a 107kW/250Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol. Buyers will have a choice of either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. In a segment first, the new Astra will also be fitted with LED matrix headlights which automatically distribute light depending on the situation to improve safety. Other features available include traffic sign assist, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision alert, eighteen-way adjustable driver’s seat with massage function and heated rear seats. The new Opel Astra will also form the basis for the next-generation GTC and VXR hot hatches which are likely already on Holden’s agenda. If the seventh-generation Astra hatch does make it to Australia, it will likely go on sale in the second half of 2016.

But the decision to use European Opels to add spice at Holden means the all-new Corsa could easily land Down Under with a GTC badge and a go-faster package to sit alongside the Astra-Insignia-Cascada crew already announced.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Holden's performance-car division will continue to build the Clubsport sedan and wagon, Maloo ute, Grange limousine and GTS super-sedan until the October 2017 end of Commodore production.Carsguide understands it may even stockpile enough cars to run into 2018 because once these homegrown heroes go, there will be no more.In the meantime, HSV is looking to broaden its range. Don't be surprised to see the high-performance Opel Astra OPC hot hatch and Opel Insignia OPC sedan and wagon in Holden showrooms wearing HSV badges.HSV has sold Opel's high- performance Astra before and the Astra hatch and Insignia were sold here last year as Opels before the brand was withdrawn from sale. That means they have Australian Design Rules approval and the parts are available. Only the HSV badges are missing.