Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edition: Extreme Corsa hits the UK

Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edition - now in Vauxhall showrooms

Vauxhall told us they’d built an even quicker Corsa VXR – the Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edition – back in April, and told us it would go on sale in May.

Well, if it did, it’s taken a full five months since then for Vauxhall to get real Corsa VXR Nurburgring Editions in to their showrooms. But now they’ve got there, and the Nurburgring Edition does look a fun little hot hatch.

Thankfully, car makers have realised that the eco-impetus to make only cars that cultivate fluffy bunnies and never accelerate in anger was an agenda made up by the eco-mentalists. Real car owners still wanted small hot hatches and car makers are again going this hugely fun route with a joy.

The Corsa VXR Nurburgring manages to squeeze an extra 13bhp out of its 1.6 litre 4-pot lump – now with 202bhp – giving the hot little Corsa a big-car bashing 0-60mph of 6.5 seconds.

Vauxhall hasn’t just turned up the wick on the engine, its done enough to the underpinnings to justify the Nurburgring tag. That means lower ride height, Bilstein developed dampers and springs, a limited slip diff and a set of Brembos.

On the prettifying front the Corsa Nurburgring gets a set of high-gloss grey alloys, stainless steel exhaust, Recaros and new paint jobs - Grasshopper and Henna. And don’t forget the Nurburgring logos comprising of a Nurburgring map.

At £22,295 it’s not cheap, but it will be a hoot and probably no more expensive than the Fiesta RS when (and if) that arrives.

(16 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

By Cars UK