The fast Opel cult needs no introducing. Originating from wild local creations like the ‘80s Kadett Super Boss and ‘90s Astra TS and stretching to modern day Astra OPCs from Germany, all that’s been missing until now was a fast Opel Corsa.

That wait was well worth it and the Corsa OPC has leaped onto the scene with boisterous styling and the punch to match from Opel’s new 141kW turbo-charged 1.6-litre mill. We waited with baited breath for this road test.

Pity then, that it failed to run away from close rivals like the Mini Cooper S, Peugeot 207 GTi and RenaultSport Clio in our acceleration tests and timed laps around Kyalami. It ran them all very close though, but still lacks the credentials to steal the cheaper and faster Peugeot’s bang-for-buck crown.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that it takes more than lap times and acceleration figures to make a car desirable, and here the Corsa OPC truly triumphs. Let’s start with the superficial realm of styling. Really, is there any other car in this class that looks like a proper hot hatch?

Unlike rivals, there’s no mistaking the OPC for its humbler siblings. The sporty coupe-like body shell is a good start, but what really makes it is the loud OPC body kit. It’s got the racy look taped - from 18-inch rims to bold bumpers at each end and some especially kitsch touches like those wing mirrors that appear nicked off an E36 BMW M3 and that upside down triangle for an exhaust bracket at the back. The Corsa OPC might appear a bit over the top for some, but we like the fact that it looks as fast as it is.

It’s every bit as elaborate on the inside. Grippy racecar-style bucket seats, a chunky three-spoke steering wheel, drilled alloy pedals, to complement the other shiny aluminium bits that appear in small doses throughout the cabin, and a centre console in glossy piano black all do the job. It manages to strike a good balance between sporty and classy. Ergonomics are hard to fault, the only downer being that the pedals are placed too high, so you almost have to step above them, which feels uncomfortable.

All these initial impressions left me with a panging hunger to drive this little Opel and drive it hard, but there were many questions still unanswered. I was seriously wondering if it’d be a scary torque-steer adventure like every other fast Opel that I’ve driven.

» Page 2: We take it to the track

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