RSS Official: Vauxhall Astra sets 12 World and 6 National Speed Endurance Records [w/video]

[Ringo64]

Filed under: Hatchback, Opel, Vauxhall, UK

You may know it as an Opel, a Vauxhall, a Holden, a Chevy, a Buick or even a Saturn, depending on where you live. But whatever emblem it's wearing, the Astra is straightforward car. Nothing particularly remarkable about it. Which is why this series of records is pretty darn impressive.

Earlier this month, the Vauxhall team took a pair of Astras to the high-speed bowl at the Milbrook Proving Grounds in England. Twelve drivers (including nine journalists and three automaker staff members) each took a four-hour shift with the throttle nailed to the floor, and after 24 hours and 1,500 laps of the two-mile, constant-radius banked track, Vauxhall took twelve world records and six national records, pending verification by the FIA (international) and MSA (national) sanctioning bodies.

Among those records which Vauxhall is claiming are the speed endurance records for 1.6-liter to 2.0-liter forced-induction diesel production cars (at the international level) and the 1.5- to 2.0-liter category (at the national level) at the 1-, 6-, 12- and 24-hour marks.

Over the course of the round-the-clock endurance test, the cars spent only 22 minutes off the track, the oil level remained constant and each car required only one tire change, which was handled by Opel's Nürburgring pit crew and supervised by Michelin. Continue on below to read the full press release and check out the brief video clip.

Continue reading Vauxhall Astra sets 12 World and 6 National Speed Endurance Records [w/video]

Vauxhall Astra sets 12 World and 6 National Speed Endurance Records [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[[ChaosweaveR]]

That's pretty damn impressive.

We do get the Astra in North America, we just know it as the Buick Verano.

Now, if only we got those impressive diesels.

[Ringo64]

Saw this on Reddit, crazy!

I know most GM vehicles are tested to run for 24 hours straight but not at those speeds.