A 281-hp Opel Corsa sounds slightly absurd, especially when there is no petrol engine involved. Yet that’s exactly what Opel has built with the new Corsa GSE.

The little electric hatch develops 207 kW (281 hp) and 345 Nm, enough to get it from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds. Top speed is 180 km/h. Those aren’t numbers normally associated with a Corsa, and Opel says this is actually the quickest-accelerating production car it has ever made.

But the horsepower isn’t the most interesting part.

We’ve seen plenty of EVs become seriously quick simply by fitting a more powerful electric motor. Opel has gone quite a bit further here. The Corsa GSE gets a Torsen limited-slip differential at the front, different axles, revised anti-roll bars and hydraulic bump stops. Steering and pedal response have also been recalibrated specifically for the GSE.

Then there are the brakes. Opel went to Alcon for a four-piston setup, while Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires sit on 18-inch wheels.

In other words, someone has actually spent time on the chassis.

Three driving modes control how much of the car you get. Sport unlocks the full 281 hp. Normal drops output to 231 hp, and Eco is there for the occasions when extracting every last bit of performance isn’t the priority. Eco also cuts maximum speed to 150 km/h.

The battery has a total capacity of 54 kWh, of which 51 kWh is usable. Opel has changed its thermal management as well, presumably because repeated hard acceleration asks rather more from a battery than a quiet trip to the supermarket.

Visually, it’s still unmistakably a Corsa. The GSE gets different front and rear treatments, a black roof, rear spoiler and those 18-inch wheels. Yellow brake calipers add some colour without making the whole thing look like it escaped from a tuning show.

There’s more yellow inside, including the seatbelts. Alcantara appears on the performance seats and steering wheel, and the 10-inch screen gets additional displays for things such as acceleration, G-force and battery information.

What Opel hasn’t done is strip out the normal-car stuff in pursuit of performance. Heated seats, navigation, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and a reversing camera are still available. There’s even vehicle-to-load functionality for powering external devices.

So the question isn’t whether the Corsa GSE is fast enough. With 281 hp in something this small, it clearly is.

The question is whether it can reproduce what made cars such as the old Corsa OPC entertaining in the first place. Straight-line speed is easy for an EV. A good hot hatch needs to be enjoyable when the road starts bending.

At least on paper, the limited-slip differential, proper brakes and chassis work suggest Opel understands the difference.