New 789-bhp Vauxhall Corsa previews future of GSE performance division

Designed to put the GSE moniker back on the map, Vauxhall’s new Corsa concept has more power than a Porsche 911 Turbo, and weighs less than a Mini. Still not excited? Here’s why you should be.

What happened to hot Vauxhalls? For anyone who grew up in the early 2000s, it felt like the firm’s retirement from the hot hatch limelight happened almost overnight. And that’s because it sort of did. In 2019 the beloved VXR nameplate was quietly put to sleep —and with it, any hopes of spicier model derivatives. 

But wait, something’s stirring in Vauxhall’s performance basement… Earlier this summer the British brand announced its return to the sporty landscape with a lightly tuned version of its all-electric Mokka. A promising start, though it’s been thoroughly trumped by their latest reveal: the barmy Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo. 

Here to prove Vauxhall’s passion for performance is very much alive and kicking, this off-the-wall concept marks an Oasis-esque return to form for the firm.

The looks, for one, are guaranteed to go down a treat with Vauxhall’s old-school VXR clientele. In a similar vein to Renault’s brilliantly boxy Renault 5 Turbo 3E, the GSE Vision Gran Turismo has a seriously muscular, aggressive feel. Much of which comes from the car’s short, low, and wide stance — with arches which flare almost comically far from the body. And if that doesn’t grab your attention, the slew of aero-enhancing wings, diffusers, and skirts, definitely will.

That outrageous sculpting isn’t just for show, either. According to Vauxhall the aero solutions ‘offer smoother airflow to enhance the vehicle’s handling at high speeds’, while the rear spoiler can extend to cut drag on the straights, or flare like an airbrake when added stopping power is needed. If that wasn’t enough, a new environmentally friendly Bcomp®material (similar to carbon fibre) has been employed to reduce weight. Oh, and there’s even special Goodyear tyres and racey Bilstein pushrod suspension; so it should handle like no Vauxhall that’s gone before.

That’s all handy stuff when you’re packing more than eight times the horsepower of a standard 1.2-litre Corsa and weigh just 1,170 kg. Featuring dual 469-bhp electric motors (one at each end) the GSE Vision Gran Turismo is capable of a ludicrous two-second 0-60 mph sprint. And, even more incredibly, it’ll be nudging 200 mph at the top end. If by some miracle you do get bored of that brutal oomph, though, there’s a boost function which adds 79 bhp for up to four seconds, for effortless overtaking. 

So it won’t be short on ‘OMG! GSE moments’, as Vauxhall puts it. But the Vision Gran Turismo is more than just a marketing stunt designed to drum up GSE hype, it also showcases some of the real design language you can expect to see on regular versions of the upcoming Mk7 Corsa. 

Keen to sample all this mayhem firsthand? Well, you can… sort of. While there are no plans to make the GSE Vision Gran Turismo a full production model (in its current form) Vauxhall will kindly let you take it for a spin in the virtual realm. As the name suggests, Vauxhall has worked with the Gran Turismo 7 team to create an accurate (and drivable) digital rendering of their hair-raising creation. 

Does this spicy Corsa mark a return to the halcyon days of boosted people carriers and wildly torque-steering Astras? All the signs are promising. But you’ll need to wait until the production version arrives for our final verdict.

Are you excited for a hot Vauxhall comeback? Let us know which models you think deserve the GSE treatment.

Hero image credit: Stellantis