Opel GT

[DMC12]

Interesting cars. I like the headlights:


Anyone know more about these cars?

[TerminalVelocity]

I wanna know about them too....anyone actually write here?

[burgertyv]

The Opel GT was a sportscoupe based on the opel kadett b. The GT came with a choice of 2 engines, 1.1 litre with 55bhp and 1.9 litre with 90bhp. Both models were delivered with 4spd manual transmissions.

[eagerowl]

My first car was a 1969 Opel GT 1.9 liter. It was my grandma's and when I got a hold of it in 1986 it had only 36,000 miles on it. It was a fun little car but had some recurring mechanical problems. You can pick them up pretty cheap still. It always got a lot of attention. The headlights are operated by a lever next to the shifter that you push forward and back to flip them over...very cool.

[SwaveDave]

I bought a new 1971 Opel GT when i was 17 . The Opel GT was made only from 1969 to 1973. A friend of mine had a 1970 and gave me a ride in it ; i was so impressed with its acceleration and torque , that i knew i had to have one. Trouble is...when my new 1971 came in to be picked up...i was tremendously disappointed in its performance due to the emissions garbage they put on the engine. It wasnt nearly as fast as the 1970 was. But..it was still alot of fun. It was unusual at that time. I took it over to England and they reallly loved it over there ; had swarms of people gathered around it.

I read that, the Opel GT was actually designed back before the C3 generation of corvettes came out (1968) and the Corvette was taken from the Opel GT....and not the other way around. Who knows for sure ; all i know is...it was an awesome car to own. IT was reliable . The dash looked like a jet fighter cockpit with a buch of guages and lights ; it was aerodynamically styled offering low wind resistance, and the headlights looked neat when you flipped them over, manually with a lever. The windows would fog up easily however., and the 4 speed wasnt real strong . I have good memories of the car,..but now i am a Corvette owner, there is no comparison in terms of performance, sophistication, etc...there is nothing like an Old but pristine looking Corvette with a big block builtup motor in it. Its a piece of americana .

Happy motoring and...rumpity rump !

Dave

[SwaveDave]

P.S. I forgot to mention that i paid $3200 for it brand new. My dad said i could have any car i wanted ; looking back now...i wish i would have bought a 1969 Camaro with a 396 engine in it. Although...i would have most likely killed myself with it and would not be here talking to you nice folks.

Dave

[Murco]

Originally posted by SwaveDave
I bought a new 1971 Opel GT when i was 17 . The Opel GT was made only from 1969 to 1973. A friend of mine had a 1970 and gave me a ride in it ; i was so impressed with its acceleration and torque , that i knew i had to have one. Trouble is...when my new 1971 came in to be picked up...i was tremendously disappointed in its performance due to the emissions garbage they put on the engine. It wasnt nearly as fast as the 1970 was. But..it was still alot of fun. It was unusual at that time. I took it over to England and they reallly loved it over there ; had swarms of people gathered around it.

but now i am a Corvette owner, there is no comparison in terms of performance, sophistication, etc...there is nothing like an Old but pristine looking Corvette with a big block builtup motor in it. Its a piece of americana .

Happy motoring and...rumpity rump !

Dave

Ummm, not to doubt you but your profile lists your birthdate as 12/31/69

[SwaveDave]

Thats interesting..because when i go to my profile...it says my birthdate is : 5-25-54 (which it is). Maybe someone is hacking my profile.

Dave

[Murco]

Originally posted by SwaveDave
Thats interesting..because when i go to my profile...it says my birthdate is : 5-25-54 (which it is). Maybe someone is hacking my profile.

Dave

As of tonight it still says 12/31/69.... Would you like a link to the AARP site?

[SwaveDave]

Well..why dont you kindly disregard what it says , and if you dont believe me then take a hike and quit being arrogant . I dont need to prove my age to you or anyone else -- im 49 ; take it or leave it.

[tigermiata]

Originally posted by SwaveDave
A friend of mine had a 1970 and gave me a ride in it ; i was so impressed with its acceleration and torque , that i knew i had to have one. Trouble is...when my new 1971 came in to be picked up...i was tremendously disappointed in its performance due to the emissions garbage they put on the engine. It wasnt nearly as fast as the 1970 was.

Didn't they, like, kill the compression ratio for the 1971 model year? I had a couple of friends with 1970 1.9 Kadetts and one with 1971 and 1973 (?) Mantas (well, the 1971 was called a Sport Coupe, but the same body). By comparison, the earlier cars would get up and GO.

[SwaveDave]

Tiger,

Exactly. In 1971, there was a huge uproar from the Government toward Car Manufacturers to improve emissions and for cars to run on unleaded gasoline. This meant a substantial reduction in engine Compression Ratios and the addition of emission components which simply bogged down an engine. To make matters even worse, there was the Oil Embargo in the mid 70's which sent gasoline prices skyrocketting which put greater pressure on the manufacturers to make vehicles more economical. The performance of a 1969/1970 Opel GT versus a 1971/1972/1973 Opel GT was like night and day ; like i said...i was saddened to drive my 1971 for the very first time, but still liked it alot.

This 'detuning ' marked the end of an era of high performance cars across the board. The Corvette in the mid-70's got detuned to as low as 185 hp and in california, a 305 cid engine was available for the Corvette . It was so pathetic that the average family sedan could keep up with a Corvette of this variety. Fortunately, i now own a 1970 Corvette which has the highest torque rated motor during the peformance years ; youve never felt real raw power until you get pinned back in your seat and are unable to touch the windshield even if you wanted to. It is a real joy owning a peice of americana ... even if its a gas guzzler (12 mpg city).

Dave

[tigermiata]

Originally posted by SwaveDave
The performance of a 1969/1970 Opel GT versus a 1971/1972/1973 Opel GT was like night and day ; like i said...i was saddened to drive my 1971 for the very first time, but still liked it alot.

That must have been frustrating; it seemed to me that Opel suffered more than most car makers that year from the changes. My experiences w/Opels have been thorugh friends that owned them. I like the ergonomics in the GT's better than the Mantas and the beautiful 1900 'Ascona' sedans (steering column canted to one side? UGH!) but I'll admit not "getting" the idea of a non-opening trunk -- the GT cried out for a hatch, IMHO. I LOVED the gigantic cannot-miss-it tach the GT's had.

It sounds like the 'Vette satisfied any latent longings for horsepower; my Tiger has a "mere" 272HP at the rear wheels, quick but not in the same league.

[AC_A340-500]

My first car (I was 16), back in Canada was an Opel GT. It was in pretty good shape, and boy did people ever stare at it because they had no idea what is was. Many mistook it for an expensive exotic. Nonetheless it was quite economical to drive. I still have it sitting in the garage, back in Canada. I don't really want to part with it.

BTW, here in Germany, Opel GT prices are soaring! A nice one will fetch close to 10,000 Euros!

[SwaveDave]

AC,

I would hang onto that Opel GT ; it will be worth much much more one day considering it was only out for 5 years. How much is 10,000 Euros in American Dollars ??

Dave