AFTER beating off strong opposition from a host of General Motors' European car plants, it was Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire which won the contract to build the Mk VI Astra hatch and estate.

And it was totally justified, for the 2009 Astra could mix it with the the best, with its fine build quality, stunning design and highly-competitive pricing.

Following on the heels of the hatchback and estate car duo, the 2011 three-door GTC coupé became the latest cog in the expanding Astra range, and it drove the well-loved family favourite up to a brand new level.

Designed by a team headed up by Brit Mark Adams, the GTC was developed as a joint collaboration between Vauxhall's whizz kids at the Engineering Centre at Millbrook and Opel's equivalent set-up at Russelsheim in Germany.

The end result was a stand-alone Astra which offered a superb driver-oriented experience, and owning to the fact that the largest market was here in the UK, was tuned and tweaked especially for our roads.

Sadly for the UK though, that car was built in one of Opel's European plants.

Vauxhall reserved the choice of three petrol and three diesel engines for the GTC. Two 1.4-litre petrol units delivered 120 and 140bhp, while a 1.6 turbo pumped out a whopping 178bhp.

Two versions of the 1.7-litre CDTi oilburners were good for 110 and 130bhp, while a larger two-litre diesel delivered 165bhp.

Having put both diesel and petrol models to the test, I have to say I was most impressed by the turbocharged petrol version.

Sleek, streamlined, sophisticated and seductive, the GTC not only looked the business, it did the business big style, its powerful engine delivering an ultra-strong performance.

Top speed came in at a blistering 137mph, while the standing to 60mph dash took as little as 7.8 seconds. But it was the way the turbo unit immediately responded when given some welly from the right foot that set this coupé alight.

To aid cornering and grip, Vauxhall added their HiPerStrut system - first used to great effect on the Insignia VXR - to the Astra GTC.

This system helped keep torque steer in check, allowing the more involved driver to make greater use of the GTC's performance without compromised the steering.

Up front, there was plenty of room for a couple of heavyweight boxers but, as expected, space in the rear proved a little tighter than that of its five-door hatchback sibling.

Only Sport and range-topping SRi trim levels were available for the GTC, but both offered high levels of equipment. Sport spec models were kitted out with 18-inch alloys, air-con and DAB radio/CD sound system, while SRi trim cars added Xenon headlamps, daytime running lights, auto lights and wipers and tinted windows.

Prices for 2011 11-plate 1.6-litre turbo petrol Sport models range from £6,160 to £8,435 and between £6,550 and £8,975 for the SRi.

Move to 2012 and 12-plate examples and you will have to pay anything from £7,190 to £9,595 for the Sport and between £7,655 to £10,215 for the SRi, and what you get is a machine that can still turn heads at a price that is affordable to many.