Irmscher changes to the Corsa and Mokka, for now, are limited to aesthetics. Images: Charl Bosch
Stellantis South Africa provided a few surprises of its own at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring by showcasing not only the facelift Jeep Wranger, but also a pair of project “performance” versions of the Opel Corsa and Mokka.
Unveiled just over 12 months ago, the updated Wrangler, shown in four-door Unlimited Rubicon-spec, sports the same blackened seven-slot grille as in North America, along with the aerial now being integrated into the windscreen.
As before, the roof and doors can be removed completely and the windscreen folded onto the bonnet.
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While final specification wasn’t disclosed, the displayed model did feature the redesigned dashboard housing the new 12.3-inch Uconnect infotainment system.
Up front resides the biggest change as the stalwart normally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar petrol engine makes way for the turbocharged 2.0-litre Hurricane, albeit without any form of mild-hybrid assistance as in the States.
The result is an unchanged output of 200kW/400Nm, 13 kW less but 47 Nm more than the V6, directed to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
For the moment, no further details are known, however, expect some if not all to emerge before the end of the year.
Debuting as the main attraction, the mentioned Corsa and Mokka models leverage off of the Blitz’s long association with German tuner Irmscher to create, for now, aesthetically revised versions of the flagship GS Line.
In the case of the Corsa, Irmscher 18-inch alloy wheels feature, along with a 30 mm ride height drop, gloss black door sills and a sports exhaust system.
Based on the recently facelift Corsa means the Irmscher also gets the latest Opel Vizor and Compass grille, plus a model bespoke gloss black lip spoiler below the front bumper.
As for the Mokka, the extended door sills have been colour-coded and the lower section of the bumper below the air intake finished in the body colour as opposed to the standard gloss black.
The touches to the latter also apply to the rear bumper, with the final additions being a new bootlid spoiler, Irmscher alloy wheels and an unspecified drop in overall ride height.
As it stands, both exhibited models prevail with the three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged PureTech petrol engine, however, no power figures were provided with speculation claiming a possible uptake from the current 96kW/230Nm may have taken place.
For the moment though, nothing has been confirmed with the same applying to a local launch date either this year or in 2025. As such, expect more details to emerge soon.
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