Gallery: Here’s a look at the 300hp Opel Astra OPC EXTREME

With a 300hp, 2.0-litre turbo engine, the Astra OPC EXTREME is the most powerful front-wheel drive that Opel has ever built and it's set to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

Thanks to Opel's liberal use of carbon components, the Astra OPC EXTREME has shed 100kg compared to the 'normal' Astra OPC and, naturally, its home environment will be the racetrack. The in-house manufactured carbon fibre roof weighs just 2.6kg, compared with a steel roof’s 9.3kg, while the wings are made of aluminium and weigh only 800g a piece instead of 2.2kg in steel. Derived from last year’s Astra Cup racecar that competed in the Nürburgring Endurance Championship, the EXTREME is the lighter, more powerful street-legal race sibling to the current Astra OPC. We’re told that if public reactions are as positive as expected, then Opel plans a low-volume production run for the EXTREME. So here’s to hoping that Opel get the hype they’re looking for.