Based on the Astra GTC, the OPC version was the sportiest model in its range and, when it was launched, it was one of the most powerful hot-hatches.

Opel introduced its contender in the hot-hatch segment with a highly tuned Astra GTC in 2005 and brought more than just a set of wheels and a body kit.

Opel introduced the second generation of the Astra in Europe in 1998 and waited another two years before offering it as a true hot hatch, in 2000, in two bodywork versions: a three-door hatchback and a five-door station wagon.