Vauxhall and Opel will take the GT Concept to the Geneva Motor Show 2016. The budget brand doesn’t normally interest us, however, the Vauxhall GT Concept is intriguing with its front mid-engined setup, rear wheel drive and sequential gearbox. Vauxhall say that it was inspired by the 1966 Vauxhall VXR and the 1965 Opel Experimental show cars.

The name is shared with the first Vauxhall concept created more than half a century ago. The GT Concept is minimalist with no door handles or door mirrors. Vauxhall hopes it will inspire driving enthusiasts, we suspect it will also be used to gauge appetite for a new performance focused model.

The Design work has been carried out by Mark Adams, Vice President of Design Europe. It features large doors with integrated side windows with seamless transition from glass to painted surfaces. Entry is gained through a touchpad integrated in the red signature line of the roof, opening the doors into the front arches saving space and making tight parking more practical. The Vauxhall GT Concept gets a long bonnet, central dual exhausts, no boot-lid and red tyres.

Under the bonnet sits a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine, based on the ADAM, Corsa and Astra units. It develops 145PS and maximum torque of 205Nm, via a six-speed sequential transmission operated by steering-wheel mounted paddle shift. It weighs in at under 1000kgs and manages 0-62mph in less than eight seconds with a maximum speed of 134mph.

Rear cameras are mounted behind the wheel arches for visibility. They transmit their images to two monitors on the left and right side of the cabin. The windscreen flows into a glass panorama roof

The Vauxhall GT Concept is the first to emerge from the company’s £2.25m Design & Engineering Centre in Luton.

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