Vauxhall Corsa Nurburgring Edition (2011) first pictures

Vauxhall has rummaged around the kitchen cupboard and poured a healthy dollop of chilli into the mix for its new Corsa VXR Nürburgring Edition.

It's our first look at the new special edition Corsa hot hatch, which goes on sale in May 2011.

Under bonnet lies a pumped version of the 1.6 petrol turbo found in the regular Corsa VXR. Tickled-up engine management software, uprated turbocharger and a new exhaust are responsible for the jump in power to 202bhp and 207lb ft.

For the record, the regular Corsa VXR develops 189bhp and 196lb ft.

Ah yes, the poor front wheels. Vauxhall has fitted a limited slip diff to the front axle and claims that hours of lapping at the Nordschleife - the car's eponymous patron - has fettled the Bilstein dampers so that it'll cope with all that grunt.

The Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nürburgring Edition has been lowered by 20mm at the front and 15mm at the rear. Watch out driving it around town, then. It should brake safely from higher speeds - top speed is 143mph - thanks to Brembo brakes which are claimed to weigh a third less than the standard anchors.

Good news first. The Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edition scurries to 60mph in 6.5sec, making it one of the quickest superminis we've yet seen. Note that all the above performance and power figures are quoted running on pricey 98-octane petrol.

Bad news is the cost: this is one very expensive supermini, tipping in at £22,295. Still, it makes the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari we tested last month seems good value.

By Tim Pollard