Opel Zafira OPC: First Look

By Motoring Channel Staff

The new performance people mover from Opel, the Zafira OPC, made its world premiere at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show alongside the new second generation Zafira.

The 7-seat sports van, to be launched in the Northern fall/autumn, is developed for top performance and shows this with its striking, dynamic looks.

It is powered by the new 176kW (240hp) 2.0-litre gasoline turbo engine, which is coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission -- as in the Astra OPC.

The powerful engine with maximum torque of 320Nm takes the Zafira OPC from zero to 100 in just 7.8 seconds, and with a top speed of 231km/h, makes it the fastest production van in Europe!

Like most new European cars these days, the new ballistic Zafira OPC has superb agility and active safety, says Opel, thanks to the standard features of IDSPlus chassis (Interactive Driving System) with electronic CDC (Continuous Damping Control) and the networking of all electronic chassis systems.

Large disk brakes (front 321mm, rear 278mm) with brake calipers painted in characteristic OPC blue ensure powerful and effective deceleration.

"We established the sports van segment in Europe in 2001 with the Zafira OPC, and its success with our customers greatly exceeded expectations. So there was no question we would also offer an exclusive high-performance variant of the second-generation Zafira," stated Hans Demant, Managing Director of Opel AG.

"Together with the Astra OPC, the new Zafira OPC is the first of several sporty top models that combine exciting, dynamic design with exceptional performance", says Demant about the importance of the OPC models in Opel's product strategy.

The OPC van benefits from the ingenious and easy-to-use Flex7 seating system which allows the Zafira to be turned from a seven to a six, five, four, three or two-seater in a matter of seconds without having to remove or cumbersomely stow away the seats.

The Opel Zafira OPC's exclusive look is underlined by the selection of exterior colors available (arden blue, black, magma red and silver), the typical OPC honeycomb grille, a dynamically designed bumper with a large, central air intake and integrated fog lights, as well as an aerodynamically optimised roof aerofoil.

Its sporty appearance is further enhanced by special 18-inch alloy wheels for the Geneva show car, with 225/40 ZR18 (19-inch optional) tyres, strongly profiled side sills, a distinctive lower rear panel and a twin exhaust system with trapezoidal tailpipes.

The Zafira OPC's interior is sporty and elegant: driver and front seat passenger enjoy the comfort and support of Recaro sport seats in two-tone leather/fabric (full leather optional), which also provide effective lateral support in fast curves.

Décor strips on the instrument panel and door trim are color-coordinated to the seats, available in arden blue, black or silver. The leather sport steering wheel and gearshift lever are newly designed and carry the OPC logo – as do the door sill trims and chrome-ringed instruments with blue needles.

The Zafira OPC was developed by engineers at the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) in Rüsselsheim, Germany, in close cooperation with the OPC (Opel Performance Center) team.