German Corvette? 1969 Opel GT
It was said, back in 1969, that an Opel GT resembled a then, current Corvette that had been washed in hot water and shrank. Admittedly, that’s a stretch but I get the visual. And from an outward perspective, and the fact that it’s a two-seater is about where the comparison ends. The Opel GT was a sports car in its own right, and today we have a 1969 example for your review. It is located in Overton, Nevada and is available, here on Bard Finds Classifieds for $12,000.
The GT was a bit of a surprise for Opel as it really wasn’t in keeping with the traditional marketing niche of Opel cars. Introduced in 1968, and built through the 1973 model year in Bochum, Germany, Opel GT production volume reached about 103K copies, 70K of which were exported to the U.S. Opel, being a GM subsidiary, used Buick’s dealership network to handle sales and service.
Other than the admittedly worn finish, this Opel GT is advertised as being in “excellent condition all around”. And the wear is fade, more than likely caused by outside weather exposure – red, in particular, does that. The body panels look to be straight and aligned properly without evidence of damage. The bumpers appear to have been refinished, as in painted or powder-coated, in black. The chrome-plated steel wheels are a typical ’70s touch as are the rear window louvers, the first that I have seen on an Opel GT.
The seller references the interior by stating, “New steering wheel, New seat and door panel upholstery, very clean interior“. I would agree, it looks great. And I can tell you from experience, in spite of this car’s diminutive size, the interior is plenty roomy for those six feet tall and then some. I have a friend who had this same year GT back in our college days and all of my lankiness fit fine. The interior really needs no attention!
While not exactly Corvette power under the hood, there is an adequate powerplant in the form of a 102 HP, 1.9 liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine. The seller adds, “Newly Rebuilt carb, New fuel pump“. Keep in mind, this is only about a 1,900 lb. sportscar, and performance tests of the time put Opel GT 0-60 MPH times at 10.8 seconds with a top speed of 113 MPH. A world-beater? No. Lots of fun, yes.
Fairly common at one time, but certainly not seen often anymore is this Opel GT. We have covered numerous here on Barn Finds but not many that are in this condition – you can drive this on as is, or work towards a repaint. If you have ever considered owning an Opel GT, here’s a solid example to ponder.
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Comments
This is Maxwell Smart’s car in the 1969 – 70 season. (Different color, but same car).
This car has no trunk lid. But there’ a fuel cap on the back deck. Has the whole trunk been replaced with a fuel tank? Must have a fantastic cruising range. Just wondering.
They had no trunk. That is totally stock.
No trunk lid on the Opel GT.
I never understood the Corvette comparison as the Opel looks far better than any Corvette ever did!
The Corvette comparison is a worn out trope that any good automotive writer would and should avoid. Lazy writers use the reference.
Clare (Mac) MacKichan was Opel’s design chief at the time and he took direction from non-other than Bill Mitchell, GM’s chief stylist, who oversaw the C3 ‘Vette design. Mitchell pushed Mac to make the GT, which had been in planning since 1965, to look more “American”. Mitchell influenced Mac to use the Mako Shark II concept as a template, the same template that led to the design of the C3. Both cars were introduced at the same time, in the Fall of ’67. As “Corvette Magazine” stated, “both (cars) were driven by the common vision of the Mako Shark II, with Bill Mitchell acting as long-distance puppetmaster.”
So like it or not, the GT and the ‘Vette are forever intrinsically linked by design and designer. It’s valid and necessary linkage always worth mentioning.
JO
I don’t like it and “Corvette Magazine” is also entitled to their editorial opinion however misguided it may be. “Long -distance puppetmaster” is a stretch. Sorry, but a car with a lawn mower engine cannot be compared to a Corvette. Your “linkage” is a false equivalency.
I don’t care if you like it or not, it is what it is. If such “worn out troupes” offend you then don’t read them.
Who said anything about power? We’re not comparing power and prowess between the two, we are comparing styling and I was very clear on that front in my “lazy” reference. And the styling origins are hardly a false equivalency – they’re fact.
JO
Good info for sure. I was just saying that it looked much nicer than any Corvette given the common design heritage. Rather than a shrunken Corvette I would say it is much more attractive albeit smaller with a shared design inspiration.
Wanna kick a corvette snob when he’s down? Tell him his precious vette is a watered downed, detuned, knock off, of the Pontiac Banshee.
…….but it’s what most people said back in that era – that they looked like little ‘Vettes.
No idea how we did it, but used to go bar hopping with 5! people in mine
Makes sense as it does look like a Clown car.
Close friends?
This is the first car I ever got a ticket in. A friend brought one into the shop for a drivability issue. My boss did a tune up, but he was too big to fit into the car to test drive it. So I took it out for a short drive. Made it about a mile before seeing a State Trooper going the other way. Turned out the trooper knew I was only 14 so he spun around and pulled me over. Got a ticket for no drivers license. The judge fined me 35 bucks, and took points off the license I wasn’t even old enough to get yet.
Just one of the really stupid things I did as a young kid.
My brother got pulled over once when he was 14. He was driving a really beat up (rusted out) old Jag Saloon. The cop merely wanted to make sure everything worked (safety-wise) on the Jag and did not ask for his non-existent license. I think my brother was excreting bricks out of a particular orifice all during the stop.
I used to call these ‘The Billy Barty Edition’ Corvette.
Wow very interesting I didn’t know the gt and the corvette were half brothers. Maybe add a alum 215 buick or keep it in the family and add the lt1 and be done, along with 4 speed and a 10 bolt.
They aren’t.
No room, no matter how much ya stretch or squeeze. A Toyota 3sGTE will fit . Easy 300hp.
433jeff, the aluminum Buick 215 does fit nicely. I have seen one with that engine that looks like it came from the factory.
Saw one a few years back that had the drivtrain from a wrecked Mazda RX-7 turbo. Looked like that should’ve been a fun drive given the 1900lbs!
Main thing you’d really need to look at in these things is the floor. They have a peculiar “double bottom” construction like a boat for reinforcement and rigidity in the back half of the pan where the front mounts of the rear suspension attach. Moisture gets inside and they rot from the inside/out and are an absolute b#### to fix properly as there are no parts and everything has to be fabricated. Additionally there was a tendency ages ago to glob that old tar- based undercoat on them and it only made it worse. If you want one put it on a lift and look it over closely no matter what the rest looks like.
Shame that Opel based it on the Kadett chassis instead of the Manta/1900 running gear. Interior air flow was adequate, almost. Very quiet car for cruising.
A 1970 GT was my h.s. graduation present…almost. My parents made the down payment and first two payments while I was in boot camp. Being 6’3″, I had to drive scooched down in the seat and with my head tilted. It was a fun little car but traded it after a few months for a Plum Purple ’70 383 Super Bee…I wanted “more power”!
In 1977 I owned a 1971 red Opel GT with a 4 speed. I spent $82 on an OEM replacement muffler and tailpipe – but otherwise, it ran great. To me the coolest thing about the car (aside from the nice lines) was the mechanical lever you aad to push/pull to operate the pop-up headlights. It was a tiny car – impractical for this teenager’s daily driver – so my dad’s business partner bought it from us for $1250 – what we paid for it.
Brother owned a batch of these. The 1900 engine had good power but, based on a 1500 block. Twice he twisted crankshafts out of index! He described the car as “Not for someone with a yen for storing stuff”
No trunk, seem to recall it lacked a glove box too. A small well behind the seats was IT for luggage. The headlight “roll” open and closed with a lever between the seats..
Pretty thin skin there Jimmy Boy. You may have picked the wrong line of work. No worries. I will make a point of skipping your articles from now on. I will also make a point of listing my car on any site but BF when it is time to sell. I gave you guys a ton of props online when you helped me sell my 1984 Corvette (You know, the full-size Opel GT) At least you didn’t pick Public Relations as a career.
Paul:
It’s not a thin skin, it’s your uncalled-for, insulting personal attacks and constantly dismissive tone. You really put a wet blanket on what should be a fun, enjoyable experience for readers and commenters alike. As to who you read, and who you don’t, that’s always your choice – but I can do without your constant negativity.
Thank you,
JO
Jim- Thanks for taking the time to read all of my posts to reach your conclusion. Diligent research is the hallmark of a good writer.
The comment about the roominess of the interior reminded me of a Sunday afternoon in the ’70s, when a group of us (about 30, as I recall) were driving around killing time in our various hot rods and other assorted vehicles. One of those vehicles was an Opel GT, and we used it to create a comical video. We set up an 8mm movie camera (no such thing as a “camcorder” back then) on a tripod, and aimed it at the GT. The driver and passenger exited the car, and two more people climbed out of the back. The camera was then stopped while two other people climbed into the back. Those two people exited after the camera was started again, and the sequence was repeated numerous times to create a video that appeared to show a couple dozen people getting out of the back of the GT. That was considered quality entertainment for us in the ’70s.
I knew a guy (in the ’70s; we were both teens) with a white Opel GT who swore there was a mouse living in it, lol. Based on what that guy was usually doing in there the mouse was probably high most of the time.
I’m with you JO. No room for disgruntled trolls on this fine enthusiast site.
I won’t brown nose, nor critique…but we always said the Opal GTs looked like Corvettes that were picked before they were ripe!
Bye-bye, Frankie…..you’ll be surely missed…..just not here.
Jim I enjoy yours and the other writers styles and methods. Not always written how I’d write them but we are all different. Ignore the people that want to be nasty when they don’t even know you. Good grief.
An Opel GT was my first car. It was offered to me by a family friend. Someone had tried to steal it while he owned it and in the process ripped the fuse box halfway out of the car. Our family friend told me I could have the GT if I could get the fuse box wiring back together and get it running. 30 minutes later I drove it out of his driveway and that started my love affair with the Opel GT. I drove it all through high school and had many adventures in that little Opel. At one point we crammed 9 guys into it just to see if it could be done. The first time I drove at over a 100mph (just barely) was in my Opel. I had several more Opels after that one including a Manta Rallye and a couple of Kadetts.
An acquaintance in high school had one of these … it, too, was a graduation present … he came to school one day crowing that his car would do 140mph … when we laughed about it he showed a speeding ticket for 140mph … found out later he knew a cop who wrote the ticket for bragging rights …
I had a 1971 GT right after high school and loved it, but I sure wish I’d had the Weber carb instead of the Solex that came on it. I dropped the pan just for a look while replacing the clutch and found one of my main bearing caps laying in the bottom along with snapped off bolt heads. I never understood what would have led to that.
These have really jumped in value. I never would have thought they would be a 5 figure car, even one that is this nice.
Hagerty’s top value is 30K! Even taking into account their typical over-value, that is pretty good.
It’s an Opel Cadet with a cool body mounted on top. Same suspension, breaks, etc. My sister owned one. Her boyfriend shot it twice with a .45
I always get a kick from “Barn Finds ” and never pass on whatever you guys have come up with even when they are not my cup of tea. My advice to you would be to ignore the naysayers as there are plenty others that enjoy reading about your finds
Only Opel GT that was worth a damn:
https://garlits.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/jimoddly2.jpg
This was a a real winner, I saw it beat every car it went up against and I mean nothing even came close to beating it!
http://racersreunion.com/tony-williams2/gallery/82476/1972-dan-smoker-mini-brute-opel-gt-afc