An Opel Astra TwinTop, as seen on a car market in Beijing in the cold winter in December 2018. The good Opel was covered with a thin layer of ice but appeared to be in good condition. It was painted in a forgettable shade of gray, so typical for the Opel brand.
The TwinTop was a retractable hardtop convertible, aka a coupe cabriolet. It was based on the third-generation Opel Astra (Astra H, A04). The Astra was available as a 5-door hatchback, a 3-door hatchback, a 4-door sedan, a 5-door station wagon, a 3-door hatchback-coupe, and as a 2-door coupe cabriolet, like the car we have here today.
The interior was Opel Astra all-out, with gray plastics, more gray plastics, some piano black trim, and cushy black leather seats.
The Astra TwinTop was manufactured from 2007 until 2010. It had a three-part folding metal roof that used up much of the boot space. It was marketed as a four-seat car but in reality, it was more like a 2+2. The rear seats were just big enough for small kids.
The Opel Astra was officially sold in China as an import. Opel sold the sedan, the 3-door hatchback coupe, the 5-door hatchback, and the TwinTop. That was a daring choice as convertible cars have never been particularly popular in China, and surely not in Beijing; the weather is either too cold or too to, there is dust, and there was air pollution. Sales in China of the Opel Astra TwinTop started in 2008 and ended in 2010. The car that I saw had a 2008 registration.
The TwinTop was available with only one engine in China: a 1.8-liter four-cylinder petrol unit with an output of 140 hp and 175 Nm. The gearbox was a 4-speed automatic. The top speed was 189 km/h and 0-100 took an easy 12.7 seconds. It was an expensive car, priced at 369.800 yuan.
The high price and the unpopular body style make this cool convertible Opel a rare car on the roads of the capital. Still, we are happy it is there and it would make for a nice mountain cruiser on an early summer’s day.