Vehicle Description
1970 Opel GT - General Motors Coupe Built in Germany - Bigger 1.9L
Motor - 5 Speed Getrag Transmission - Mechanically Sound - Books of
Receipts and Records - Rare and Fun (Please note: If you happen to
be viewing this 1970 Ope; GT on a website other than our Garage
Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our
many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations. To be
sure you access all the more than 150 photographs, please go to our
main website: GarageKeptMotors.) ... the perfect budget head-turner
�€"Elana Scherr, Hagerty.com, April 25, 2019 In the late 1960s, the
noticeable sports-car gap in the Opel model lineup was filled with
the Opel GT. However, actually creating this relatively low-volume
halo car designed to lift the Opel corporate image in Germany as
well as give Buick dealers in the U.S. an imported sports car to
grace their showrooms would be no simple matter. In the end, it
would take none other than GM's legendary Bob Lutz's blessing, and
a combination of design from America, mechanicals from Germany, and
body fabrication from France. (French carrosserie Chausson
fabricated the unibody shells that Brissonneau & Lotz finished,
inside and out and shipped them from Paris to Opel's plant in
Bochum, Germany.) The resulting Opel GT was among the first true
world cars. Automobile Magazine's Collectible Classic feature
described the car's design: The end product offered an
exceptionally smooth nose finished with a delicate, 'Vette-style
chrome blade bumper (federal bumper standards were still years
away). Oval hideaway headlight housings that rotated up from left
to upright, clockwise as you face the car, are controlled manually
by a lever that makes for a great conversation piece and a nice
workout for the driver's right forearm. As in first-generation
Corvette Sting Ray coupes, the doors extend into the roof for
comparative ease of entry. Out back, the tail was Kamm-styled and
set off by four round lights, recalling the Dino by Ferrari. Trunk
is a relative term when discussing the Opel GT, as there's no
external access. The car's rear also features a racing-inspired
external fuel-tank access and dual center exhaust pipes. The
silver-over-black 1970 Opel GT offered here features the larger of
two engines offered, an original 1.9-liter 4-cylinder. powerplant.
The car was originally owned in California before ultimately making
its way east. It was restored in Wisconsin in 2008 where the car's
original 4-speed manual transmission was swapped for a more
reliable, and far less problematic, Getrag 5-speed. Our Michigan
client acquired the car in 2012. Recent service performed at Arie
Nol in Grand Rapids included a new muffler, tires, and a new
fuel-sending unit. The condition of the car is outstanding as the
more than 150 photographs available on the GarageKept website
attest. Worth noting is the uniform and shiny exterior paint across
all body panels; tidy, near-perfect interior surfaces and fabrics;
clear, sharp markings on the original VDO gauges; simple wood-rim
steering wheel; unmarred wheels and tires; perfectly detailed
engine bay and almost spotless undercarriage. Also included are the
original owner's manual, service documents, mechanical resource
manuals, and period press articles. The new owner will also benefit
from Opel online resources including the Opel Motorsport Club
(opelclub dot com). This Opel GT is rare enough to be a real
head-turning hit at any cars-and-coffee enthusiast gathering. But
its real gift is its ability to transport its driver back to the
Seventies when sports cars were just beginning to blossom in the
U.S.
