!NEW! Stars at the Essen Motor Show: Opel ADAM R2 and Monza Concept

• Trade show motto “For Drivers and Dreams“: Opel makes drivers‘ dreams come true
• ADAM R2 public debut: Opel ignites next rocket in Rallye sport

New Opel ADAM R2

From November 30 to December 8 Opel will make drivers’ dreams come true at the Essen Motor Show in line with the motto, “For Drivers and Dreams“. Exciting highlights on Stand A120 in Hall 3.0 include the Opel Monza Concept and – seen for the first time at a German show – the Rallye ADAM R2 and two further sporty Germany-premieres.

New Opel Monza Concept 

“The Essen Motor Show gets all horsepower lovers emotional – just like the Opel brand,” says Opel Chief Marketing Officer Tina Müller. “And with our Monza Concept and the Rallye ADAM R2 we are showing what we have to offer. We are in direct contact with our fans here, which is why the motorsport and tuning trade show is so important for us.”

New Opel Monza Concept at the Essen Motor Show 2013

Opel fires off the next salvo in its motorsport activities with the characteristic ADAM Rallye R2 version. This small, around 190 hp powerhouse will compete on the international stage from the beginning of next year, building on Opel’s extremely successful first rallye season. Outside motorsport, the Monza Concept represents the future of the brand by conveying lots of emotion. This visionary study is now given its second public showing following its IAA premiere. With athletic lightness, high-tech projection technology and pure efficiency, it shows what drivers can expect from Opel in the coming years.

Much to see: Opel presents sensational highlights of the motorsport and series-program at the Essen Motor Show 2013.

In addition, car, tuning and motorsport fans can get all the latest information on the newest Opel series production models by visiting the stand. Different versions of the ADAM individualization champion will be on display, together with the dynamic, compact Mokka SUV and the new Insignia Country Tourer adventurer. Top-of-the-line, high performance models are OPC versions of the Corsa, Astra and Insignia. Fans can get right up close to their sports idols in Essen: Numerous Opel partners from the worlds of football and motor sport will visit the Opel stand on those days on which it is open to the public.

Sporty peak performance: New Opel Insignia OPC with reworked chassis.

The Essen Motor Show is held from November 30 to December 8 and is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On weekends, the motorsport show opens at 9 a.m.

!NEW! Season Results: Opel Celebrates Successful Return to Motorsport

Big sporting event: New Opel ADAM R2 impresses at ADAC Three Cities Rally

Fast youngster: Marijan Griebel and Fabian Kreim win young talent competition

Best prospects: ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2014 with 14 more ADAMs in starting line-up

Green Hell: Opel Astra OPC Cup successful on the Nürburgring Nordschleif

Mario Merten and the Bonk Motorsport team bring home a victory in the Opel Astra OPC Cup. Merten finished the season alongside Jürgen Nett, following the passing away of his original partner, Wolf Silvester (photo) during the course of the season.

What an exciting first season in Opel's comeback to motorsport! With two brand trophies up for grabs in 2013, the German carmaker returned to the national stage. It continued its great touring car tradition with the 300 hp Opel Astra OPC, for which there were nine rounds of the Astra OPC Cup on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife within the framework of the VLN Endurance Championship. Two drivers shared an Astra for these marathon races through the "Green Hell". At the season’s final last weekend, Mario Merten and Jürgen Nett were ultimately victorious in winning the Astra OPC Cup from their toughest rivals Jannik Olivo and Elmar Jurek by a wafer-thin margin of 29 points.

Opel Astra OPC Cup: On average, in the first season of the Opel Astra OPC Cup, 18 Cup-Astras started out on the Nürnburgring. Four teams shared the wins of the nine races and Mario Merten was the most successful driver with five victories

For Jörg Schrott, Director Opel Motorsport, the racing was excellent: "Congratulations to Bonk Motorsport and Mario Merten on the championship win in the Opel Astra OPC Cup! We have experienced an incredibly exciting and toughly-contested first season. Plans for the 2014 season are already underway: “We will continue to build on our involvement in the coming year. We would like to make the Cup even more attractive with a further six vehicles.”

The little Opel ADAM shows big form

The ADAC Opel Rallye Cup season ended with three key outcomes. At the Three Cities Rallye, the ADAM pack had an overall Cup victor, Markus Fahrner, there was a junior driver award winner, Marijan Griebel, and a free starting place in a brand-new Opel ADAM R2 for next season.

A junior-evaluation: Opel motorsport director Jörg Schrott (left) and ADAC Sportspresident Hermann Tomczyk with the fastest of the young talent team: Griebel/Rath (middle). Kreim/Engel and Allkofer/Götzenberger (right).

Of the five youngsters – Christian Allkofer, Timo Broda, Dominik Dinkel, Marijan Griebel and Fabian Kreim – Griebel and Kreim were ultimately able to assert themselves. The young driver will thus receive an ADAM R2 especially prepared by Holzer Rennsport in Augsburg for the brand Cup next year. This latest, 185-hp rallye version caused a sensation as a course car at the Three Cities Rallye with ADAC Sport President Hermann Tomcsyk at the wheel. This second prototype (number one had its world premiere at the Deutschland Rallye in August) has been further enhanced, and now roughly approximates the status Opel will homologate on January 1 with the international motorsports federation FIA. This means that the foundations have already been laid for the 2014 season.

Rallye-champions: Opel motorsport director Jörg Schrott (left) and ADAC Sportspresident Hermann Tomczyk with the three fastest of the rallye-team 2013: Griebel/Rath (middle). Kreim/Engel and Allkofer/Götzenberger (right).

Stronger engagement in the Opel Rallye Cup 2014

In collaboration with the ADAC, Opel will be intensifying its promotion of young drivers in rallying. The current R1 vehicles, with upgrades and slight modifications, will remain in the competition and will be joined by 14 brand-new R2s. The highly attractive price of the ADAM Cup variant remains unchanged at 24,900 euros. Like this year, participants will take delivery of their cars directly at the Eisenach plant, where the Opel ADAM is built. It is, in fact, the only small car from a German manufacturer that is actually made in Germany.

The flying Rallye-ADAM: After damage to the axle driving shaft, the team Fahrner/Wenzel put all their eggs in one basket. A record time in the last time trial was decisive in the win of the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup.

The Opel Rallye Cup will consist of eight races within the framework of the ADAC Rallye Masters 2014. Young drivers up to 27 years old are eligible to take part. Older drivers can take part outside of the brand trophy and will be assessed in a joint division in the ADAC Rallye Masters. This is well worth winning, given that the senior winner will receive a new series production ADAM as a prize at the end of the season. For the Opel Rallye Cup itself, the prize money is increased: first place receives 30,000 euros, second place 20,000 euros and third place 10,000 euros. A junior rating winner who qualifies for a free ride in 2015 rounds off the package. Motorsport could hardly be more attractive for young drivers.

Rallye-champion Fahrner: after eight races of the season with a total of 91 time trials, it was in the end a single second in the very last time trial of the year that was decisive in settling the duel of titles between Markus Fahrner/Michael Wenzel and Marijan Griebel/Alexander Rath.

Opel Chief Marketing Officer Tina Müller agrees: "The young, committed drivers in our trendy, quick Rallye ADAM are a perfect fit to Opel. This is hands-on motorsport. It’s gripping for the spectators and exciting for the participants. So it is a highly emotional experience for all involved and all takes place on a very high technical level."

!NEW! Ring free for the Opel Astra OPC Cup

• Transfer of 20 Racing Touring cars at the Nürburgring
• Customer Teams can benefit from comprehensive service package

 

With the handover of 20 Astra OPC "Cup" takes the racing comeback of Opel to take shape. Right on traditional Nurburgring, the scene of future wheel-to-wheel duels, got drivers and teams the opportunity to know their use device closer. Protagonist of the official Opel return to the racetrack, the new Astra OPC in a race version for customer sport. The on the Nordschleife developed and coordinated Cup cars are technically designed for the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. As part of this popular grassroots racing series in Europe - the starting flag for the first of ten races falls on 23 March - the Opel customer teams compete in a separate class and the Opel exclusive brand trophy, the Astra OPC Cup to score points. Highlight of the season, the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife (17 to 20 May).

"With the commitment in the VLN Championship makes us reflect on our motor sport roots, the grassroots", Opel Motorsport Director Joerg Schrott told pilots, team managers, VLN representatives and partners. "The Astra OPC, Cup 'offers our customers the ability to run high profile motor sport - with top equipment and sporting perspective on professional level and at reasonable cost. All 20 cars were sold within a few days. This overwhelming response confirms our pleasure and our new concept. "

For Opel grassroots approach includes a comprehensive benefits package. At the center of this package is the new emergency vehicle, the Astra OPC "Cup", which was developed by Opel in close cooperation with the proven partner Kissling Motorsport and built. It inspired the engineers consistently. To the ideas and needs of private drivers Team boss Stefan Kissling: "The series Astra OPC is well suited as a base for a racing car. In preparation for the first season we completed over 7,000 test kilometers with the Cup version. Here there was zero problems and no reason to touch the substance or changing something fundamental. "This resulted in a race car, the high performance and competitiveness at low cost offers.

The Astra OPC "Cup" with two-liter turbo engine produces 300 hp. For technical specifications include the lightweight body with carbon components and integrated security structure, the multi-adjustable Bilstein performance suspension and high-performance 6-piston monoblock brake system of Performance Friction.

About the excellent material also offers Opel motorsport customers the technical and organizational support to the racetrack and fair prices for spare parts. For added attraction provides a prize pot with attractive premiums. "That's a great concept from Opel," says his 48-year-old Berliner Thorsten Wolter of TKS Motorsport team. "The bill for our riders goes to full. With this car you can really move on the Nordschleife what. So I'm glad to have equal access. I look forward to an exciting season. "

Opel Astra OPC "Cup" - Specifications

 

Engine: 2.0 liter ECOTEC 16V, variable camshaft adjustment

Power: 300 hp at 5,600 min-1

Torque: 400 Nm at 2500-4500 min-1

Transmission: six-speed gearbox, front axle differential lock

Chassis: HiPerStrut front suspension, Watts link rear suspension, multi adjustable Bilstein performance suspension

Steering: Safety steering column, electro-hydraulic power steering

Wheels: ATS GTR, 9.5 x 18 inches

Braking system: Performance Friction 6-piston monoblock front calliper, ABS system

Disc: 378 mm ventilated (front), 314 mm ventilated (rear axle)

Body: lightweight bodyshell with integrated safety structure 

Inside: SPARCO Competition seat (HANS system capable), electrically triggered fire extinguishing system, side impact protection, 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank, pneumatic quick lifting system (optional)

Outside: Carbon doors and hood, carbon fiber rear wing and front lip, broadened lightweight bumpers and fenders

Electrical: AIM Screen logger system with shift lamp and data recording

Dimensions and weight: length 4,600 mm, width 1,910 mm, height 1,390 mm, wheelbase 2695 mm, 1280 kg

Racing History: Opel sets milestones

In circuit racing sport for the brand with the flash mainly due to her "home course", the Nürburgring Nordschleife, countless touring car victories. Vision function were the triumphs in the professional sector. Thus, as of 1993, controlled by the Manuel Reuter Calibra V6 for Fan icon, first in the DTM and finally winning the title in 1996 in the succeeding series ITC. Other highlights: the manufacturers' championship in 1998 in the DTM / ITC series STW successor to the Vectra and the overall victory at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2003 with the Astra V8 Coupe.

!NEW! Opel Austria extended in 2013 the Corsa OPC Rally Cup to 12 teams

• Review: An exciting and spectacular season
• Expansion of the Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup on 12 Teams
• Registration period runs until the end of the year 

An exciting and spectacular 2012 season

The first season of the Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup ended with the forest district rally in the Horn. Proud Gesamtcup winner was, by far, the youngster Daniel Wollinger (104 points). Wolfram Doberer reached by a superior performance in demanding Waldviertel Rally the runner-up (84 points). Also on the podium there Christoph Leitgeb managed 78 points. Furthermore, in fourth place, with 53 points Gerhard Dworak, Koni Friesenegger with 50 points and last but not least Daniel Zieser with 20 points. "I am particularly pleased that we have achieved such a good start to the rally scene. The team mix of youngsters and well-known has given us an exciting and spectacular season. I congratulate all the teams for their performance," congratulated Alexander Struckl, CEO of General Motors Austria GmbH.

Expansion of the Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup from six to legendary 12 Teams - Registration period runs until the end of the year

The Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup learned in assets, rally enthusiasts and the team of the Cup a big appeal. Daniel Wollinger: "I am delighted with the successful launch of Opel in rallying. I am especially impressed by the professional performance and the reliability of the Corsa OPC. There was throughout the season no technical problems! "

The organizers of the Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup have decided to expand the current 2013 season of six to 12 teams. The prize money is of 36.000, - to 57.000, - increased. Willi Stengg: "The enthusiasm for the participation of the Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup is great, I always get new requests. There are only three places available, the registration period runs until the end of this year. "All interested parties can take directly to Willi Stengg (willi@stengg.at) contact.

The Opel Corsa OPC Rally Cup Package

The high demand is due certainly to a large extent, therefore, that in addition to a totally professional structured, fast rally car a true "all-round support" for relatively little money is to be had:

  

• Opel Corsa OPC rally car at a price of EUR 39.900, - (incl. VAT)
• Six Rally events
• Service bus with all the necessary spare parts at each rally site
• Prize money per Rally for the eight top finishers
• Hospitality and catering for driver / passenger at every rally
• Discounts for reconnaissance cars of the Opel brand 
• Uniform optical and organizational performance at every rally
• Professional press release services for each Team