Forever Young

The Opel GT is a two-seater coupe that German automaker Opel produced from 1968 to 1973. Longtime Opel employee Erhard Schnell designed the distinctive body of the Opel GT, which was first unveiled in 1965 at the IAA in the form of a prototype called the Opel GT Experimental. Primarily intended to serve as an image vehicle for Opel’s parent company General Motors, the prototype was met with great enthusiasm by the public and the press.

The Opel GT is a two-seater coupe that German automaker Opel produced from 1968 to 1973. Longtime Opel employee Erhard Schnell designed the distinctive body of the Opel GT, which was first unveiled in 1965 at the IAA in the form of a prototype called the Opel GT Experimental. Primarily intended to serve as an image vehicle for Opel’s parent company General Motors, the prototype was met with great enthusiasm by the public and the press. The GT’s technology was taken from various Opel models, with the floor assembly, chassis and a version (1.1-liter) of the engine coming from the Kadett B; the 1.9-liter engine had already been used in the Opel Rekord C. The GT was also built as a prototype. For logistical and organizational reasons, the body was manufactured in France by coachbuilder Chausson, and painted by Brissonneau & Lotz – also in France. Final production took place at the Opel plant in Bochum, where the finished body was fitted with the engine, transmission and axle.

The Opel GT was offered in a total of three different versions; more than half of the total production was exported to the U.S., where GM subsidiary Buick handled sales. The base GT 1100 model was offered from 1968 to 1970 with a 1078 cc 44 kW (60 hp) engine. This version was built for only two years and reached a top speed of 155 km/h (155 mph). The more powerful version of the GT was offered under the name GT 1900 from 1968 to 1973 and produced 66 kW (90 hp) with a displacement of 1,897 cm³. From 1971 to 1973, the Opel GT Junior was offered, which also came with the 90 hp engine that was already used in the GT 1900. The Junior version of the GT had fewer gauges in the cockpit. The Opel GT did not receive a successor until 30 years after production ended.

In 1973 the production of the Opel GT was stopped. There were many reasons for this: firstly, following the purchase of Brissonneau & Lotz’s automotive division by Société des Usines Chausson, which worked closely with Renault, the supply contracts for the Opel GT bodies had been terminated due to competition from the Renault Alpine A110; secondly, new safety regulations came into force in the USA which, among other things, prescribed special bumpers which would have been difficult to reconcile with the shape of the GT. It is always a subject of discussion among GT enthusiasts whether GM did not continue production despite its great success because the Opel GT was contesting market share in the U.S. with the Corvette, which also came from GM. It is certain that the GT was very popular in GM’s home market; actual cannibalization effects can be doubted, however, since the Corvette was significantly more powerful and more expensive.

A repeatedly discussed convertible or a Targa model of the Opel GT did not go into production, only two prototypes were produced in the colors blue and orange of the Targa designated as “GT Aero”. Likewise, there was no production of a direct successor model, the “Opel GT 2” or “Opel GT 2+2”.

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