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Opel Gt

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Opel GT: Choice Of Screaming German Hippies!

Not speaking German, we're probably more frightened by this ad that might be warranted. Perhaps the target market of the Opel GT wasn't really German-style Manson Families looking for some quick, sporty wheels with which to hunt victims in preparation for the final days of Hëltër Schkëltër. Maybe it was all about good, wholesome autobahn hijinks. Thanks to Franzouse for the tip!

geneva motor show

Irmscher GT i40: An Opel GT With V8 Power

Who says the Germans are always hung up on Bruce? Sure, the press release we just received from German tuning house Irmscher says "Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail" at the bottom; but the body of the message has an entirely different tone. Forget the standard weaksauce Ecotec 4-pot; it seems the German hordes have realized they coulda had a V8 in their Opel GT. So Irmscher is releasing their version of the wee little roadster made off the same assembly line as our Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice with a 480 PS (473 HP) 6.0-liter V8 of unspecified origin. We're sure the German Green Party will totally be happy. Full press release with all the hilarious German-English translation errors — like "V8 Power to be enjoyed" — after the jump. We're just going to sit here and dream of a V8 crammed between the rails of a Saturn Sky. Don't mind us. More »

junkyard find

Junkyard Find: Opel GT

Seems every time I go to a certain East Oakland self-service junkyard, I find something old and unusual on its way to steelyard reincarnation. Last time it was the 1969 Jaguar XJ-6; now it's a very-well-picked-over 1973 Opel GT. These things were never plentiful in North America, and I don't think I've seen one on the street for a decade. Yet, somehow, one has survived long enough to make it to the junkyard. Make the jump for even more gallery shots.

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found on craigslist

How About a Brand New Opel GT?

No, not this brand-new Opel GT- we're talking about the real deal here: a genuine original 1973 Opel GT with 106 miles on the clock, window sticker still in place, the works. 25 grand and it's yours! Of course, you might want to consider the V8 option for it! Thanks to MeHugTree for the tip. [Craigslist Atlanta; go here if listing disappears]

choose your eternity

Project Car Hell: Four Opel GTs or Two Fiat 600s?

We had quite the excitement yesterday, what with the virtual tie between the '81 Lancia Zagato and the '74 AMC Javelin in the polling (the Javelin wins by a nose). Now that we've breached the $2000 Project Car Hell price barrier, we might as well do away with the requirement that a Hell Project needs to be a single car...
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opel chariot to take you straight to hell

V8 Opel GT: For The Manta Man Who Has Everything

We all know the Manta was the German counterpart to the Camaro, complete with all the F-body's associated sociocultural , er, attributes, but what about the German Corvette counterpart? We're talking about the original Opel GT, of course, and what better car for the upwardly-mobile bemulleted V8 Manta driver to add to his stable than a GT with a V8 swap? Here's a site put together by a guy who's been tracking V8 Opel GT prices for a while, and he's got some photos that will bring a tear to Günter's eye! More »

retro

Opel GT Menagerie: Caminos and More

With Opel relaunching the GT as a roadster based on the Saturn Sky (which would make it not quite a GT car, am I right?), we thought it might be fun to look back at the original "mini Corvette" Opel GT. Then we reconsidered. What would be fun would be to see what some Opel GT buyers have done with their cars over the years — body kits, shooting brakes, tow trucks. Yeah, then again, maybe we should stick with preparing for a new Saab Sonnet. [Thanks to Brian for the tip.] More »

news

French Auto Journalist Killed During Opel GT Press Drive

It could have been any of us hacks, behind the wheel of an unfamiliar car on a picturesque but potentially treacherous road, possibly poking at the limits of adhesion so we might return a colorful review that conveys the experience poignantly. But it was French automotive journalist Michel Barelli who was killed this past weekend when the 2007 Opel GT he was driving went out of control on a mountain road and plummeted down an embankment, the AP reports. Barelli, a writer for the French daily newspaper Nice-Matin, was reportedly on a press drive for the car, the European version of the Saturn Sky, when the accident occurred, approximately 40 miles east of San Diego. Condolences from all Jalopniks, everywhere. More »

news

The Red Badge Engineering of Courage: The Opel GT

More cowbell! GM's Opel outfit released details and visuals on the Saturn Sky variant that will revive the Opel GT badge. Like the Sky Red Line, the GT will get GM's turbocharged 2.0-liter direct-injection four, producing 264 hp — good for a zero-to-60 time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph. It's been given the once-over by GM Europe's Design Studios in R sselsheim, which added a few Opelesque cues to highlight its association with the European brand's GTC sports line. More »

news

Profiles in Badge Engineering Courage: The Opel GT

Though the Saturn Sky shares an architecture with the Pontiac Solstice, at least the first has unique body-shape characteristics to distinguish it from the second. The Opel GT, on the other hand, is a straight-up Saturn Sky from basement to (cloth-topped) attic, which makes sense, since Saturn's getting a cornucopia of Opels to fill out its US line in the next few years. Maybe GM should consider a brand merger between the two divisions. (Saturopel? Opelurn? Lanspoutrel?) Considering its less-than-unique comportment, evoking the name of the quirky "Mini 'Vette" of the early '70s to give the SkyGT retro appeal feels awkward; a patronizing stab at distinctiveness by association. C- More »