Getting closer? Opel Corsa Irmscher a surprise showing at Simola

While still making the rounds on its social media platforms, Opel sprung an unexpected price by showing what is likely to be the production version of the Corsa Irmscher at the Simola Hillclimb in Knysna this past weekend.

Entered into the standard production car class, the Irmscher, officially titled Corsa GS Irmscher, sported mostly fluorescent yellow decals without any other major differences from the supposed pre-production model shown at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring last year.

Known and unknown

Known to be 30 mm closer to the ground than the standard GS Line it is based on, and furnished further with a sports exhaust system, gloss black 18-inch Irmscher alloy wheels, a gloss black front lip spoiler and black door handles, little else is otherwise known about the first Irmscher model in South Africa since the second generation Astra variant here sold as a limited edition between 2003 and 2004.

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Likely to be similar to the Volkswagen Polo R-Line in concept, i.e. a sportier exterior only, the Irmscher is, therefore, not expected to offer any more power than the standard Corsa or indeed its Astra sibling had.

As such, the three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged PureTech petrol engine will continue to produce 96kW/230Nm delivered to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

More likely soon

Set to only become the fourth Irmscher model after the Rekord, Kadett and aforementioned Astra in South Africa, expect Opel parent company, Stellantis, to make an official announcement with more details within the coming weeks and months.

As a reminder, current Corsa pricing starts at R379 500 for the Lite, stretches to R398 500 for the mid-range Edition, and concludes at R469 500 for the GS Line.

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