If the car is 170/180 bhp standard, imagine what power and torque you could get when upgrading the ecu, turbo, exhaust etc.
But i agree with others on here, i dont think the handling will be as good as the Cup/172. Must admit I did like the look of the triple 8 astra they had last year, but it was a dog car for the money.
Best go as boss is back from lunch.