Vauxhall and Opel will reveal their vision of the future sports car with the GT Concept at this year’s Geneva International Motorshow, which takes place from March 3-13.

“We created the GT Concept to capture the bold, emotional spirit of both the Vauxhall and Opel brands,’ said Mark Adams, vice president, Design Europe.

“It is dramatic, sculptural and full of innovations, which is our great tradition that we intend to continue.

“In the mid-Sixties, Vauxhall and Opel created their own interpretations of a light-weight sports car – the XVR and the Experimental GT – both of which were thoroughly modern with dynamic sculptural forms. It’s certainly difficult to reinvent iconic concepts like these, but just as each was avant-garde back then, so too is this GT Concept today – absolutely pure, minimalistic, yet bold and uncompromising. This coupe impressively demonstrates the continuous development of our design philosophy.” 

A key innovation of the GT Concept is its large doors with integrated side windows.

Both driver and front passenger gain access to the interior after pressing a touchpad for the electric doors that is integrated in the red signature line of the roof.

The doors open into the front arches, using a space-saving and patented mounting that allows a large opening angle for tight parking spaces in urban areas.

Two cameras mounted behind the wheel arches offer enhanced visibility, especially in city driving.

They transmit their images to two monitors on the left- and right-hand side of the cabin, rendering external mirrors obsolete.

Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director Rory Harvey said: “It shows what Vauxhall and Opel stand for now – ambitious and confident brands that are not frightened to innovate.”

The GT Concept’s front-mid engine configuration keeps the car’s centre of gravity low and central for excellent dynamics. Beneath its stretched bonnet is a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine, based on the all-aluminium unit used in the Adam, Corsa and Astra.

Developing 145PS and maximum torque of 205Nm, the engine delivers drive to the rear wheels, via a six-speed sequential transmission operated by steering-wheel mounted paddle shift.

The GT Concept accelerates from 0-62mph in less than eight seconds and on to a maximum speed of 134mph.

Another unique feature of the GT Concept is its integrated headlamp/indicator units.

The lights have a three-dimensional beam which allows glare-free high-beam driving. Based on Vauxhall/Opel’s award-winning IntelliLux LED matrix lighting, first seen in the recently launched Astra, the GT Concept sees the lighting system’s next stage of development. The design of the lights is completed by the three-dimensional design of the tail lamps.