Pair Of Baby ‘Vettes: Opel GT Combo
This pair of Opel GTs appears to be hiding out somewhere near Ellsworth, Maine, just due south of Bangor. That’s a considerable hike to track down an Opel project, but it could be worth it if the price is right. Rust is said to be minimal and the “Antique Auto” plates on the yellow car may point to some care and attention in the not-too-distant past. Find the pair here on craigslist and thanks to Barn Finds reader AMXBrian for the find. (Should the link no longer work, go here if the ad disappears.)
While the license plates indicating the car’s registration as an antique auto may not mean anything, I tend to believe the owners who go through that trouble at least have some intent of preserving the vehicle for future use. Of course, it could also be a means to circumvent annual inspections and put the Opel on a collector car insurance policy. The pictures of the GT covered by a tarp don’t help with long-distance assessment, and given the location, it’s not exactly a place you pop on over to in order to eyeball some project-grade GTs.
The black racing stripe adds some intrigue to the yellow car, which I continue to believe points to a history where it was occasionally fluffed and buffed and not left sitting under a tarp. There’s no question that these cars will need everything, so the clearly non-functioning headlight bucket is the least of the next owner’s concerns. Bumpers front and rear look presentable on the yellow car, which also retains most of its lenses.
The orange car shows evidence of an attempt at bodywork, and the missing taillights could have been removed as part of a tear-down and trim removal process. Now, however, those open areas on the body are simply areas prone to moisture intrusion. I can also spot the remnants of a tarp that appears to have dissolved after years of snow and sun. The seller says some extra engines and transmissions are also available and that he’s ope to trades – is this project pair worth a trip to Maine for closer inspection?
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Comments
Careful your in Stephen King territory and they could be haunted
I have taken a shining towards
them though
Because they look like baby Corvettes?
No, but that orange one that sold for 5100 would be nice. I think it would cost a whole lot more than that just to get one in that condition
Why buy a Baby Corvette for $5100 when you can get a real Corvette for $5500?
I hate this sort of ad. The seller put no effort into the pictures or description and couldn’t even come up with a price other than saying he’s looking to trade or make offer. To top things off the titles are missing.
If I were interested I’d only be willing to throw out a lowball offer. I know people don’t like that, it’s seen as insulting, but so are ads like this.
Steve R
You know it’s trouble when it’s been sitting long enough for the tarp to disintegrate.
Love these cars but I agree wholeheartedly with Steve R about this type of ad. I have a customer who’s recently started rebuilding one of these and he says the glass is particularly hard to find. Of course, you can’t tell from the pictures presented here…
I have a 70 opel gt & I’m searching for a front windshield terribly hard to find any suggestions please let me no.
They may not look like much now, but I’m willing to bet that with plenty of patience, know-how, time, and money, assuming all the parts and accessories are still there with the car, they can be restored to their former glory. I hope someone snatches them up and does that.
Maine sitting in the weeds under tarps with limited rust? Trust but verify!!! A couple of months ago I passed on one of these in Burlington, NC due to the amount of rust I found and it was only $1500 asking price.
We car nuts tend to look at what something could be, and occasionally take a flier on the dream, only to wake up and realize that we don’t have the time or money to do the right thing by a car. A 1954 Studebaker Champion 2 door post (with a ’62 Hawk 289 V8) and a 1972 Mercedes 250 sedan are 2 of my own mistakes for which I received about 40% of my capital investment back upon selling them, to say nothing of the time spent. I’d like to say that the lesson has been learned, but I’d be lying :-)
I bought a GT from a guy outside of Ellsworth, when I was stationed in Winter Harbor, in 1990. He had 3, I took the best and spent over a year restoring her, only to sell her to a Master Chief, when I got transfered. It was a fun little restoral to beat the winter duldrums. what are the odds of someone selling, in same little town, 2 Opel GTs. If these are the same two I saw way back then, there will be nothing to the undersides.