Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme (2014) first official <b>pictures</b> | Road <b>...</b>

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 04:50 AM PST

Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

30 January 2014 12:50

Meet the Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme â€" the most hardcore hot hatch ever to wear the Astra badge. Inspired by the Astra Cup racing car, itâ€™s essentially an Astra with â€˜Specialeâ€™ or â€˜GT3â€™ treatment applied to it, in the vein of Ferrari and Porscheâ€™s fire-breathing specials.

Expect less weight, less refinement â€" and a lot more on-track performance. Itâ€™s something of a thank you treat to the UK for consistently being VXRâ€™s biggest market since its 2004 debut (PR speak for, â€˜We can flog more of theseâ€™).

So is the Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme road-legal, or only for the track?

This super-Astra is road legal. And it should be a monster wherever itâ€™s driven. Vauxhall has dipped into the carbonfibre toy box, treating the VXR Extreme to carbon side skirts with aerodynamic winglets, a carbonfibre roof spoiler and rear wing, and even carbon wheels, wrapped in sticky Hankook rubber.

Meanwhile, thereâ€™s a new rear diffuser with what appears to be a high-performance heat-treated exhaust system, sporting four pipes instead of the standard Astra VXRâ€™s trapezoidal twins. The VXR Extreme appears to have a lower ride height than the regular VXRâ€™s, too.

>> Click here for CAR's review of the Vauxhall Astra VXR hot hatch

Inside, thereâ€™s a roll-cage, racing seats and six-point harnesses. Itâ€™s a proper racetrack-refugee â€" hereâ€™s hoping the planned production run doesnâ€™t go soft and ditch the racey bits.

Any word on power outputs?

Nothing besides a hint that the Extremeâ€™s engine could be even more powerful than the ordinary VXR. Vauxhallâ€™s teasing press material states â€˜the Extreme the street-legal race sibling to the current Astra VXR, which in standard form already produces 276bhp and 295lb ftâ€™.