Opel recently decided to revive its legendary GSi badge, which made its return on the Insignia. And now the German brand has announced that the new sports sedan has just knocked 12 seconds off its more powerful, OPC-badged predecessor’s Nürburgring lap-time.
The Insignia GSi in question uses a turbocharged 2,0-litre engine producing 191 kW and 400 N.m of torque, sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
It benefits from a 10 mm drop in ride height over the standard Insignia and is also 160 kg lighter. The GSi model furthermore dons Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres on 20-inch alloy wheels.
The previous Insignia OPC, meanwhile, used a 2,8-litre V6 that delivered 239 kW and 400 N.m of torque to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Test driver Volker Strycek, winner of the 2003 24 Hours of Nürburgring at the helm of the Astra V8 Coupe, took the Insignia GSi round the ‘Ring considerably quicker than what was achieved in the OPC, despite being some 48 kW down on power.
“The lightweight architecture, the excellent chassis configuration with uprated damper hydraulics and software adjustment, the unique all-wheel drive along with the performance tyres make the GSi as precise and sharp as we wanted it to be,” said Strycek.
Unfortunately, Opel has not provided an official lap-time for the new model.
The Insignia GSi will hit European showrooms in the coming weeks (last we heard it is not planned for South Africa) and will also be available as a turbodiesel model (worth 154 kW and 480 N.m).
