Vauxhall to revive thrill factor with Corsa GSE

Slowly but surely, the humble pocket rocket is enjoying something of a resurgence. They may not be as cheap as they once were, and they certainly aren’t as light, but from Alpine A290 to Mini JCW and Abarth 500e to Alfa Junior Veloce, there are fast, fun and (vaguely) small cars coming to a showroom near you. That’s got to be good news. And now one more is joining the ranks, thanks to the return of a Vauxhall Corsa performance flagship. With many a misspent youth spent behind the wheel of various SRIs, GSIs and VXRs, plus the legendary Nova before those, the world doesn’t seem quite right without a fast Corsa in it. 

It’ll have a new name, though: the Corsa GSE. So, yes, it’s going to be battery-powered, and probably feature a lot of the same hardware as the recently launched Mokka GSE. Or, if it puts you in a better mood, the e-208 GTI that’s coming soon as well: 280hp, limited-slip diff, Alcon brakes, hydraulic bump stops and more, all the sort of stuff that ought to make a slightly smaller, lighter Corsa hatch better to drive than the Mokka equivalent.

Not to mention, hopefully, a bit more range courtesy of its 51kWh battery, but let’s see. Should it follow the Mokka’s basic configuration, a Corsa GSE will be the most powerful car in its class (the Alpine 220hp strong, the Mini 255), which feels like a good hot Vaux tradition to continue. GSI, VXR or GSE never guaranteed handling nuance, but you always got a lot of bang for your buck when it came to a Griffin-badged hot hatch.

Seemingly confident that a nostalgia fest would carry a Corsa story most of the way, Vauxhall hasn’t announced any more details about the GSE yet. The teaser pic shows big calipers just like the Mokka, and a three-spoke wheel design inspired by the Vision GT concept. They’re 18-inch diameter, and that really is all that can be told for the moment. But the base Corsa is a handsome enough little thing, the concept looked great, and there was some promise in the Mokka, so hopes will be moderately high for a smart GSE. Just a shame there’ll be no centre-exit exhaust this time…

Eurig Druce, Vauxhall MD, said: “The GSE badge has already proven a great success with the Mokka GSE – now Vauxhall is bringing that electrifying high-performance to Corsa. The Corsa GSE will combine small and agile practicality with thrilling, pure electric, motorsport-inspired power and dynamics. Vauxhall has a proud heritage of hot hatches, and we’re excited to now offer customers those same thrills but combined with the electrifying performance and zero emissions in use of these new GSE models.”

And if you think that heritage a little more interesting than what is just over the horizon, the PH classifieds are always on hand. Obviously there aren’t too many Novas and early Corsas left now, but turbocharged Corsas remain plentiful. And from just £3k, too. Twice that buys a really nice, low mileage VXR, with the latest, smartest examples – along with the track car conversions – comfortably less than £10,000. A lot of fun for not much money, basically. Let’s hope the GSE can continue that noble tradition when it arrives later this year.