The Opel GT should be a great car for the likes of us. And yet, beyond Team Tiny Vette, I’m not really aware of any great Opel GT builds around (cars like that tend to show up in the LeMons paddock). From what I can tell, they’re kind of Opel’s Fiero, in that they look sporty but use mostly plebeian sedan motors and underpinnings, leading to uninspired handling. Of course, that’s roughly the same formula Ford used for a certain equine specialty, so it’s probably a matter of throwing the right aftermarket parts at it.
Our two examples represent the typical condition of a US Opel GT: stalled projects in a yard full of other stalled projects. Something along the lines of “seemed like a fun car, but parts are a little hard to find and don’t really have time for this”. The most concerning two words from the seller are “typical rust”. “Typical” means different things in different states: In the Rust belt, that’d mean disintegrated floors, rockers and fenders. In the southwest, that’s a few microns of iron oxide where the paint’s been burned off. Kentucky’s sort of a crapshoot, but for our likely use they’ll be just fine.
Given 1) the mini-Corvette styling, 2) the GM connection and 3) Opel being German, the only proper engine swap would be an alternate-universe next-gen Corvette rotary. Dropping in the heart of a rusted or wrecked RX-7 of any generation would likely produce great results. The key is to build in the necessary GM “XP Car” fake provenance and supply the necessary breathless Popular Mechanics preview based on a foggily remembered conversation overheard at a Detroit bar and some equally foggy spy shots.
1972 and 1973 Opel GTs for sale – eBay Motors
Jeff Glucker
If only there were classic ads for an Opel GT to accompany this. Maybe for us to have a shot at coming up with a caption?
Pretty sure this would be a repeat, but it’s still worth savoring.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ctXdw2Nw7hE/UYo-PprskoI/AAAAAAAAIu4/mqU7QQcjRwE/s1600/13.jpg
Wait. I’m seeing this, but no Hooniverse Asks. Has the world come to an end? Is the Hooniverse up side down? Or does my browser have the hiccups?
Server was hungover this morning, as best I can tell.
The engines were a snooze (1.9l pushrod), but as far as I know, the handling was good. The optional a/c setup was bizarre, with a duct and vents that ran along the center console:
http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1970-Opel-GT-Coupe-For-Sale-Front-Interior.jpg
This calls for the Cadillac ATS Turbo drivetrain.
I had a 1970 Opel GT as a daily driver for about 4 years back in the early 80s. All in all it was trouble free, peppy enough, and looked great, with a comfy cockpit and nice instrument layout. The engine in mine never ran less than perfect, with minimla maintenance. But even then, parts were becoming hard to come by, particularly body bits, and were quite expensive. Like most everything of that vintage, corrosion was a standard factory feature. The battery platform was in the nose and was notorious for just rusting away and collapsing, at least in FL.
You’re absolutely right — these are stoopid bad for any other purpose but LeMons.
For LeMons, however, this is solid gold.