John Kelly (Waterford)Co.Waterford, Waterford Business Park, X91 CC83 Waterford
Published 7th October 2026
· Public debut: Final design of the Opel GSE 27FE shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show
· Heritage meets the future: Three bold colour blocks in black, silver and yellow build a bridge between iconic Opel Motorsport liveries and electric racing
· “Yellow means go”: Opel GSE Yellow and dynamic Lightspeed Stripes make the car instantly recognisable – on track and on screen
· Factory driver Mitch Evans: “It looks fantastic and fast!”
· Countdown under way: Opel makes its debut as a factory team in Jeddah
The covers are off and at the Paris Motor Show, Opel will celebrate the world premiere of the race livery of the Opel GSE 27FE – the car with which the German manufacturer will contest its first season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Together with celebrated factory drivers Mitch Evans and Theo Pourchaire, the German manufacturer will present its all-electric GEN4 race car in its final colours to the public for the first time. The reveal on October 12 marks the next major milestone on Opel’s road to the World Championship, just weeks before the season opener.
“GSE stands for performance born in motorsport, engineered for the road and experienced far beyond it – with precision you can feel in every situation,” said Opel’s Vice President Marketing, Rebecca Reinermann. “With Formula E, our performance brand is now entering the world’s fastest all-electric racing championship, at precisely the moment a new era begins with the GEN4 generation. With its final livery, the GSE 27FE reflects not only our passion for Formula E, but also our clear ambition to shape the competition from the very beginning.”
The final design builds on the striking looks of the prototype, which has accompanied the team throughout its testing programme, and takes it a decisive step further. Created by Opel’s Global Brand Design team in Rüsselsheim, the livery follows a simple idea: it makes visible the forces that define Formula E – airflow, energy, and efficiency.
“With the final design of the Opel GSE 27FE, we show what Formula E looks like through Opel eyes,” said Pierre-Olivier Garcia, Opel Global Brand Design Manager. “Airflow becomes linework, energy becomes colour and efficiency becomes precision. Our motorsport heritage provides the DNA, German design provides the structure – and Formula E takes it into the future.”
At the heart of the livery are three bold colour blocks in black, silver and yellow. They pick up on iconic Opel Motorsport liveries of the past and reinterpret them for the electric era. At the same time, the linework composition structures the car’s curved surfaces, emphasises its proportions and makes it recognisable at first glance – whether in the pit lane, on screen or at racing speeds. New to the final design is a metallic silver ‘spine' running down the centre of the car. It forms the visual backbone of the GSE 27FE and symbolises the connection between the driver’s instinct and the precision of the machine.
“Every graphic element has a clear position, a clear function and a clear reason to exist,” explained Garcia. “That is German design: nothing is there by accident. Every line follows the logic of performance – German precision, drawn at lightspeed.” Even the smallest details reflect this mindset, from the discreet ‘Designed in Germany’ signature to the ‘Opel GSE 27FE’ identifier marking Opel’s first-ever Formula E car. Subtle by design, they are powerful expressions of engineering pride, passion for craftsmanship and precision.
Formula E is not about excess, but about efficiency. That is why the livery translates what normally remains invisible in electric racing – the flow of energy, data and software – into a dynamic visual signature. Pixelated Lightspeed Stripes race across the bodywork and express the instant response of the electric drivetrain. In doing so, the GSE 27FE continues the design journey that Opel began with the Mokka GSE Rally in 2025 and has now taken it into the high-tech and high-speed world of Formula E.
The most eye-catching element is the bold Opel GSE Yellow, which cuts through the exposed carbon with confidence and turns the race car into an unmistakable brand signature. “In Formula E, energy decides the race – and for Opel, energy has a colour: GSE Yellow,” said Garcia. “It is bold without being aggressive and technical without being complicated. Yellow means go.”
The drivers are also impressed. “I think the final design looks fantastic. It builds on our concept and testing livery in a more refined way, while still feeling unmistakably Opel. The additional silver gives it a sharp and sophisticated appearance – and, most importantly, it looks fast,” said Mitch Evans. With 16 victories, the New Zealander is the most successful driver in the history of Formula E and is part of the Opel GSE Formula E Team’s driver line-up alongside Théo Pourchaire, together with test and development driver Sophia Florsch.
The world premiere of the race livery is one of the highlights of Opel’s appearance at the Paris Motor Show, which puts the brand’s all-electric GSE high-performance models centre stage. Alongside the GSE 27FE, the new Opel Corsa GSE, which is already available to order, is making its exhibition debut – underlining how closely Opel links Formula E with its production models. And there is more to come: The Lightspeed Stripes and the GSE universe are also the key sources of inspiration behind the German booth design.
With the livery reveal, the Opel GSE Formula E Team enters the final phase of its preparations. Between the announcement of Opel’s entry in March and the first race, the team’s programme has included private test days alongside intensive simulator and test bench work. Following the official test week during mid-November in Jarama, Spain, the Opel GSE Formula E Team will make its racing at a double-header in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on December 18 and 19, 2026. Its first season in the World Championship will take the team to 21 races in 13 cities on four continents, with the home round in Berlin set to be a particular highlight on May 8 and 9, 2027.