Posted on Thursday 15 May 2008
As this year’s Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge approaches several more carmakers have announced plans to enter the comp. The latest is General Motors, which plans to enter a race-prepped version of its Opel Astra OPC in the grueling event. The standard Astra OPC features a 237hp (177kW) 2.0L turbo motor and is already one of the fastest cars around the ‘Ring for its class.
GM will contest a pair of 300hp Opel Astra OPCs that have been converted for racing by Opel’s partner Kissling Motorsport. Behind the wheel of one of the cars will be a number of newcomers, although they have undergone extensive training by Le Mans winners and Opel brand ambassadors Manuel Reuter and Joachim.
The 36th ADAC Zürich 24-hour race will take place on the weekend starting on the 24th of this month at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in Germany. Other recent announcements includes Volkswagen with its new Scirocco race car as well as Lexus with its upcoming LF-A and even supercar manufacturer Gumpert, which will race a new hybrid version of its Apollo.