Opel's Rocks-e Extreme: Unleashing the Beast in the Micro EV World
Right, let's have a natter about Opel's latest concoction, the Rocks-e. Born in the scorching summer of 2021 as a copy-paste job from the Citroen Ami, this wee electric city car had Opel claiming it was the planet's inaugural Sustainable Urban Mobility EV. Mmm. Yes, well. Not even a year on, and they've got a cargo edition of the beastie too. But, hold on to your hats, because it's all just got a bit more interesting... or loony, depending on how you look at it.
In the rather eccentric universe of Opel, the Rocks-e has sprouted a new and, let's say, "creative" branch. Meet the Rocks e-Xtreme, a one-off doodle that makes Salvador Dali look like a realist. It's not a production job, mind you. No, it's a fever dream brought to life by design student Lukas Wenzhöfer, who bagged the #OpelDesignHack contest. Opel promised they'd create the winner's project and boy, they've really put their money where their mouth is.
Now, young Wenzhöfer wanted to take this electric munchkin and transform it into a "jack-in-the-box, all-terrain, did-that-just-happen fun mobile." And blimey, did he try. You've got these bulbous wheel arches, a metal skeleton hugging the cabin, and tires that look like they're ready to start a fight with a mountain. They've even given the suspension a facelift to handle the new wheels and squeeze a bit more ground clearance.
The cherry on top, though, is that colossal wing at the back. Now this isn't just any wing – oh no, it's nicked from the Vectra GTS V8, a DTM touring monster with a 4.0-liter V8 engine. All on an 8 horsepower EV. That's like wearing a top hat on a guinea pig.
But the lunacy doesn't end there. The front end now sports a fresh take on the Opel Vizor, complete with LED headlights that make the car look a bit like an angry Robocop. The Opel logo's gone turquoise (because why not?), and they've even 3D printed the whole front panel and mudguards. To top it all off, they've chucked some extra LED lights on the roof frame and replaced the taillights.
Wenzhöfer claims, "The off-road capability promotes the feeling of freedom to be able to reach any destination." And if that destination is a Mad Max film set, he's not wrong.
For those of you keeping score, the Rocks e-Xtreme keeps the standard model's rather humble specs. So, we're talking a 5.5-kilowatt-hour battery and a WLTP range of 47 miles (75 kilometers). Oh, and remember Stellantis? The folks who now own Opel? While they claim this is just a one-off creation, you only need to look at Citroen Ami My Buggy - this nugget started as a wild drawing and ended up selling out its limited production in less than one day. Since Stellantis is flogging the Opel Rocks under the Citroen and Fiat banners, you may wanna pick your badge and pay closer attention to respective marketing channels. Or just enjoy the spectacle. It's your choice.
