I’ve got the throttle pinned to the carpet of the OPC’s footwell, modulating 177kW through the treacherous bends overlooking Simon’s Town. The resultant roar resonates deliciously off the cliff walls on my left, a roar amplified by the soundtracks of four others. I am in the middle of the most iconic convoy of Opels I’ve ever been a part of. We do our best impression of an automotive accordion, opening up on the straights and converging on the bends as each car, representing a different era and model version in the five-generation Astra line-up, does its best to despatch the sinewy ribbon of tar that leads, prophetically perhaps, to an abandoned gun battery. The cars themselves are equally deadly (road) weapons, also facing the spectre of redundancy. What a pity. The hot hatch war still rages and Opel has been a power player for almost three decades. To lose hard-won territory due to the recession is unthinkable. But then I’m biased, I’ve owned four Astras in my twelve certified (Maybe that should be certifiable. – Ed) years of motoring.

ZEITGEIST

We’ve sourced the best of the best, ranging from an ultra-rare MK1 GTE, to the showroom-sourced OPC I’m piloting – arguably the ultimate hatcher of the crop, if only in terms of pedal to the metal manners and sheer visual drama. We’re joined by the Group N-conquering Superboss T-car, which is essentially a homologated roadgoing version of the local touring car legend, and by its spiritual successor, the torquey 200tS, which sports a boosted version of the same engine. Then there’s the gorgeous Bertone-designed Astra Coupé. An OPC was also available in this guise but we decided to go with the Coupé instead, for the sake of variety and to show off that inimitable copper paintwork.

Opel’s on-and-off love affairs with Lotus, Cosworth, Italdesign and a host of reputable tuning and engineering firms means that each car on the mountain today benefits from factory fettling of the highest class – noticeable on the downhill bits where the cars remain tightly packed despite the gaps in power outputs. These aren’t mint examples, either. Hell, they’re not even stock. These are real cars, owned by real drivers, each with their own take on performance. For a petrolhead the convoy is exciting to behold, for an Opel man it’s simply breathtaking. The chances of seeing this collection assembled again are slim; it’s been a logistical nightmare to bring five generations together. The result, however, is a worthy feast for the eyes and ears.

MK1 ASTRA: OPEL KADETT GTE

Predictably no car was more difficult to source in good nick than the Mk1 GTE. A combination of blind luck and several ‘I want to feature your car!’ notes attached to Ivan Kleinsmith’s mint 1983 example eventually sealed the deal. Despite living its entire life at the coast, surface rust has mostly been evaded and the car still wears the original white alloy wheels, equally white rubber trim and bumpers, and the factory fitted rally-alike fog lamps. All the badges have survived and apart from a mild leak (Ivan was concerned but we assured him it’s a standard Opel feature) the car has stood the test of time just fine. The GTE was only ever available in white, and in very limited numbers. Delta reportedly sold only 250, and as Randall Crisp, the Opel Club vice-chair confirmed,‘these are like hoende tanne!’ Its 8-valve, single overhead camshaft, 1.8 litre engine churned out 86kW and 150Nm, propelled its 1005kg chassis to 100kph in 8.6 seconds, exactly on par with Volkswagen’s lighter 1.8 litre Mk1 Golf GTI.

The styling is era typical origami: hard lines define the surfaces of a simple, boxy shell. That crease down the centre of the bonnet disappears for the next three Astra generations, resurfacing only on the latest model. Ivan’s interior hasn’t been as fortunate as the exterior, but is still a functional place from which to pilot Opel’s first front-wheel drive hatch. The Mk1 was badged a Kadett here, despite the Astra tag in other markets to signal the significant move from rear- to front-wheel drive. It still sounds every bit the challenger it was then. With the windows rolled down to the waistline, a dip in the throttle is all it takes to fill the cabin with that staccato eight-valve thrash. Priceless, but after a bit of aural indulgence, Ivan moves off to allow the GTE’s successor to take centre stage.

MK2 ASTRA: OPEL KADETT GSI 16VS ‘SUPERBOSS’

The Superboss is an enigma. The ultimate T-car is veiled in controversy and blessed with a racing pedigree – the perfect mix to give it the hatch king crown in its heyday. On-track prowess against the BMW 325iS in Group N racing and on-road supremacy over the Jumbo Golf GTI saw the 16-valve ‘Supey’ endowed with more street cred than Opel could have hoped for. This fine specimen belongs to Aqeel Ibrahim, and no surprise that it’s the apple of his eye. The devil is in the details with the Superboss: anthracite Alluette alloys and brake cooling ducts in place of fog lamps are two tell-tales of a true 16VS, as opposed to lesser 16V Big Boss and 8V Boss models. While no slouch in any of these guises, the Superboss was more rare and sought after. It offered the most power thanks to a host of modifications – some local, some international. The 16v Cosworth Developments (CD) cylinder head combined with a locally developed exhaust system (what a sound) and limited-slip differential enabled it to blitz the 0-100kph sprint in just 7.5 seconds. Not bad for a normally aspirated hatch 18 years back. A top speed of 221kph is feasible thanks to the 125kW and 228Nm outputs on tap.

Each iteration of the Astra has been an evolution of the original design, and with the Mk2 it’s as though the hard edges of the original car were simply rounded off. The designers lopped off the rear doors to maximise the coupé profile, lowered the already muscular stance, and the result is just so. Swathed in black and immaculately maintained, Aqeel’s car remains a head turner. The cabin may look dated today, but those GSI badges on the front seats and the promise of epic performance an accelerator prod away means it’s still a hugely desirable place to be. The fact that only an estimated 400 were built means it’s a rare privilege too.

MK3 ASTRA: OPEL KADETT 200TS

‘When Opel says they’re doing a limited run, they’re not kidding.’ Eugene Stevens, owner of the red Kadett tS, makes a very good point. We’re not just talking revised bumpers and sporty badges, as each performance icon was released in very small numbers, and each boasted significant advances in the car’s DNA. The tS was another homegrown success story, and used various Opel Calibra elements from turbo matched engine internals to those cyclonic 16in alloy wheels. This time at least 850 units were produced, in hatch and sedan form, with the latter using the Astra name for the first time in SA. Eugene’s Kadett tS (denoting a hatch) was produced in 1994, as the Mk2 Astra side-view mirrors attest. This is also a signal that under the hood lurks the original 160kW/280Nm engine and not the 151kW/285Nm unit that followed, neutered to solve overheating niggles. Its 0-100kph was identical to the outgoing Superboss which may initially have dismayed new owners, until they stopped to consider the extra weight added by leather seats, airconditioning and an extra pair of doors. On the bonus side, being turbocharged, the tS was fruitful ground for remapping and tuning and most Mk3’s were soon outperforming their forebears. Naturally, Eugene couldn’t resist a few tweaks himself. ‘I’ve got Cosworth cams in there now, as well as a few other little titbits, I’ve sorted out the cooling issue and uprated the fuel pump and …’ the list was exhausting. I’ve no doubt they worked, as the red car blasted from apex to apex in a flurry of smoke and tyre squeal. Externally it’s easily the ‘closest to factory’ car in a line-up that has stayed pretty faithful to origins. Despite their eagerness to tweak, these boys remain purists. The interior of this fifteen-year-old hatch has held up particularly well: the sombre black leather and equally dark dashboard cosset you, helped by mod cons such as steering rake adjustability, electric windows and mirrors, and an onboard computer readout. It’s an easy place to be, but it too has to make way for the next big thing.

MK4 ASTRA: OPEL ASTRA COUPE TURBO

I know I’ve angered 150 Mk4 OPC drivers by selecting the Coupé. Sue me for failing to give a very limited production run its due. The Coupé has a profile reminiscent of that gorgeous sliver of metal known as the Calibra, was styled by Italian coachbuilding firm Bertone and has essentially the same engine and Lotus-tuned chassis as the OPC. This fine example, dubbed Goldfinga, is owned by Isham Carr, and has been mapped, remapped and tweaked in countless ways to ensure full driver happiness. A Star Wars prop however seems to have made its way into the engine bay. Isham assures me it’s just a very aggressive turbo dump valve, but the result, combined with the rorty bellow from the aftermarket exhaust, is totally visceral – somewhere between animal and cyborg. A high-pitched metallic swoosh punctuates each gearchange, an effect amplified every time the driver gets off the gas. Isham does that a lot and I don’t blame him. Alas, the Coupé’s original alloys have been swapped for a set of 17in OZ rims, which admittedly complement the car quite well. Protective headlamp covers are the only other visible deviation from stock and the original factory colour still pops. Mind you, this is not really an old car, and the pristine interior, though no great advance over its predecessor, is testament to this. Despite slightly lower outputs of 142kW/250Nm compared to the OPC, acceleration to 100kph drops by a split second to 7.4sec, with a quoted top speed of 245kph, no doubt helped by that slippery shape.

MK5 ASTRA: OPEL ASTRA OPC

No one owns this car … yet. It’s the 2009 OPC Plus, and I’m the one driving this 177kW/320Nm beastie today, thank you General Motors. It’s been called many things: the second coming of the Superboss, the ultimate hot hatch. It’s neither. It suffers from torque steer and there are faster hatches around. But undeniably it is visually exciting and terrifically fast. With traction control disabled, and sport mode dialled in – giving the steering more weight and firming the suspension – the tricky Red Hill road demands precision attention. Minor twists are easily despatched as if they were straight lines. Real corners are an occasion, and my entertainment is pushing and pulling the nose via steering and throttle inputs, the guttural exhaust note and deep induction roar urging me on. It’s a familiar place. I own one of its baby siblings, the turboed GTC, and while the OPC Plus should be a step up, I did not expect it to be this overwhelming. Power delivery is plain relentless. Forget the incremental performance increases to date, the Mk5 OPC chops a full second off the 100kph sprint time to claim 6.4 seconds. And it’s visually gripping. I couldn’t stop staring at its three-year-old visage. I wasn’t alone either. While I set up shots for photographer Marc Bow, the other drivers kept climbing into the driver’s seat so that a mate could get a cellphone camera snap of him in that lush interior, nestled in those deep Recaro buckets. So it seems the latest Opel Astra is also the greatest. What a pity if it were also the last.

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE?

Well maybe, and maybe not. We’re suffering a recession, and what it boils down to is that the Opel brand is a deadweight to the sinking General Motors mothership. It’s a non-American brand, and like Swedish compatriot Saab, cannot hope to benefit from all that wonderfully patriotic bailout money. So, Opel buyer, this does not bode well. Then there’s General Motors SA, tasked with punting both Opel and Chevrolet. Your beloved Opel costs a fair deal more to import from Europe than a Chev-badged rival shipped from the East or Australia. For now, GMSA plans to sell out stock of the OPC and the lesser 1.8 and 1.6 four-door Astras. But when the next Astra is launched, well, we’ll just have to see.

The brand new Chevrolet Cruze, built by Daewoo, has just arrived on our shores and GMSA will be doing their best to usher us into them. And of course it all makes sense as a business decision. But standing on top of Red Hill road watching the sun set on these five bastions of the Opel brand, and recalling the legacy they carved after 27 years of dutiful service, I cannot help feel that all is not right with this picture. Without Mk6 it feels like an unfinished canvas. Too bad GMSA doesn’t see it that way.