The Vauxhall Mokka Is Going Rallying

Rallying can often make a car a global hero. See the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Audi Quattro as shining examples. Are we going to be adding the Vauxhall Mokka to that list?

Probably not, but it’s going rallying anyway. Meet the Vauxhall Mokka GSE Rally, which takes the electric version to the gruelling world of motorsport.

Well, technically speaking, it’ll be rallying as an Opel for a one-off appearance at the ELE Rally Eindhoven this weekend. It’s a prototype for now, but it could go into production if the demand for it is there.

Despite its one-off status, the Mokka GSE has been built to meet FIA eRally5 regulations, which, as far as we can tell, makes it the first car to do so.

It’s running a powertrain much beefier than anything you’ll find in a road-going Mokka right now, with 276bhp and 254lb ft of torque coming from its single front-mounted electric motor. Worth pointing out that’s the same power you’ll find in the platform-sharing, road-going Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce and Abarth 600e.

Given it’s an FIA homologated rally car, that also means an interior that’s been completely stripped, caged and fitted with two bucket seats. It does away with ABS, stability control,  traction control and, as Vauxhall explicitly mentions in its press release, lane-keep assist. We wouldn’t mind that going away entirely. Oh, and we can’t leave without mentioning the gigantic roof scoop mounted on top.

Vauxhall says the Mokka GSE Rally should have performance on-par with a current Rally4 car, which is to say ‘Yeah, reasonably quick’.

If the Mokka GSE Rally is to go into production, it’ll likely be to replace the Corsa Electric in Opel’s own one-make Electric Rally Cup.

We know a Vauxhall Mokka GSE road car will be coming, but could we see a proper rally homologation version follow too? Fingers crossed, it’d make being stuck behind one doing 40mph on a national speed limit road more of an event.