Opel Motorsport has announced its brand-new Corsa Rally4 model, replacing the successful ADAM R2 model, is on course for FIA homologation on December 1.
In line with the FIA’s new rally pyramid, Opel is the third manufacturer to develop a Rally4 model – after M-Sport and Peugeot – with thousands of miles and several months of testing already being conducted.
Like Peugeot’s 208 Rally4, the Corsa will use a 1.2-liter engine (the Fiesta houses a 1.0-liter unit) with three cylinders as is defined by the FIA’s regulations.
The Corsa produces a claimed 208bhp and 290Nm of torque, and incorporates Magnetti Marelli electronics and a Sadev front axle and five-speed, sequential gearbox.
Its differential can be adjusted with the help of three different ramps while the car’s Eibach springs and Öhlins shock absorbers make its suspension fully adjustable too.
Opel Motorsport was testing in the French towns of Mazamet and Braasac last week with occasional WRC3 driver Yoann Bonato and European Rally Championship pilot Marijan Griebel.
Former Opel factory driver Griebel was impressed with the Corsa’s capabilities.
“The Corsa Rally4 is very easy to drive, reacts logically to changes in the set-up and does the right thing when driving,” he said.
“I immediately had confidence in the car. Thanks to the longer wheelbase, the Corsa is more stable in fast corners than the ADAM R2 and yet very agile. The engine is great, has a lot of thrust, which you can feel not least uphill.
“Thanks to the higher torque and the much wider usable speed range of the turbo engine, the driver has to shift less [and] the traction is also very good. The test drives were very productive and I had a lot of fun.”
The Corsa Rally4 will be adopted by Opel Motorsport in the ERC from 2021 and will also become the spec-car for the Opel e-Rally Cup for fully-electric variants of the machine.
Customer cars will be constructed immediately after homologation in December.
“Our customers can look forward to a fast, reliable rally car, just as they know it from the ADAM R2,” said Opel Motorsport director Jörg Schrott.
“The Corsa Rally4 was also consistently developed with a view to the lowest possible operating costs. That saves customers’ budgets and ensures a favorable price-performance ratio.
“The purchase price of the Opel Corsa Rally4 will be announced in the near future.”
Opel has helped launch the rally careers of several drivers in recent years including European Rally Champion Chris Ingram, Junior WRC drivers Tom Kristensson and Mārtiņš Sesks, current Hyundai junior Grégoire Munster and former Hyundai junior Jari Huttunen.
