High performer

摘要

As the manager of OPC's small but multiskilled engineering team, Wilfried Diehl plays a key role in some of General Motors' most exciting cars. In an era when everyone's a specialist, it's refreshing to know that there are still some engineers around who can turn their hand to just about anything. Design? Check. Development? Sure. Regulations, release, production support? No problem. Within the small team in Opel's Performance Center (OPC), each performs all of these tasks, and their engineering manager is Wilfried Diehl. "It's a job profile that you won't find in any other department within GM, only ours," says Diehl, a 28-year Opel veteran with half-a-dozen years remaining before retirement. Far from slowing down, he's busier than ever, and the cars he works on are getting faster by the year. The team's latest product is the Astra OPC (sold as the Vauxhall Astra VXR in the UK), which has been well received since it went on sale earlier this year. Cars such as the Astra - specifically, the three-door GTC model - are comprehensively worked over by Diehl's crew of 15, which takes care of modifications to the exterior (side skirts, bumpers, roof spoiler), interior (steering wheel, seats) and chassis (hardware and setup). Further engineers tackle powertrain mods and report direct to the head of OPC, Volker Strycek.