Opel fans in South Africa were given a special treat at the Top Gear Festival in Durban last June as the legendary Stannic Group N Opel Kadett Superboss turned up to participate in the street circuit events at the world-famous event. The show featured classic cars, modern cars, flying bikes, fire stunts, fireworks, Jeremy Clarkson and his team, Segways, shiny metal, funny ‘cars’, super cars, F1 cars and super stars – and, of course, the Opel Kadett Superboss.
The classic style of the Kadett is unmistakable, with some color added to the steering wheel for good measure.
Featuring prominently during the heyday of South African production car racing, the Group N racer was spawned from the road-going Kadett GSi which ignited the passion for performance Opel products in South Africa in the early 1990s.
Exclusively for South Africa
This particular Superboss is owned by Farouk Dangor who raced for Opel in Group N alongside fellow South African racing greats, Grant McCleery and Mike Briggs. With its rich motorsport heritage, the Kadett Superboss is undoubtedly the father of the modern performance Opel in South Africa, carrying one of the most nostalgic road and track reputations amongst enthusiasts.
Created purely for the South African market, the Superboss was the road-going iteration of the manic racing car, built to satisfy homologation regulations of the racing series and later, ongoing consumer demand.
Please enter and shoot off: helmet and sport seat waiting for the driver.
The Superboss featured bespoke modifications including Irmscher springs, more aggressive camshafts, revised intake and exhaust manifolds, a revised air cleaner for better induction, revised engine management to optimise the various changes, a locally-developed limited slip differential and special alloy wheels – all of which not only made it a circuit racing force to be reckoned with, but also allowed the Superboss to hold the world record for the most torque per litre (a total of 228 Nm from the modified naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder GSi engine), which was only surpassed in recent years.
classic car with temper
Paving the way in later years for the likes of the Opel Kadett and Astra 200TS models and the more modern generations of Opel Astra OPC, the Superboss is once again revealed its wild side as it took part in the Top Gear motoring theatre. “It gives us great joy to be able to bring out this fantastic racing car once again,” comments Dangor. “The Opel Kadett Superboss is one of those cars which gets any motoring enthusiast’s tongue wagging in South Africa, its fabled status continuing strongly even in modern times. The performance blood which spawned the Superboss is clearly still running through the veins of modern performance Opel vehicles and fans alike.”
Opel Around the World is aimed at raising awareness of Opel’s presence in countries and territories outside Europe. It is a lighthearted look into how the brand affects people’s lives and the passion around the badge, be it from customers, dealers, employees, or people interested in Opel.
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