Opel GT

This article covers the Opel GT produced between 1968 and 1973 . The article about the Opel GT manufactured between 2007 and 2009 can be found under Opel GT (Roadster) .

Opel
Opel GT (1968–1973)
GT
Production period:	1968-1973
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 1.1–1.9 liters (44–66 kW)
Length:	4113 mm
Width:	1580 mm
Height:	1225 mm
Wheelbase :	2431 mm
Empty weight :	845-960 kg

The Opel GT is a two-seater coupé model that Adam Opel AG produced from August 1968 to July 1973 in 103,463 units. The body was designed by Erhard Schnell , who worked as a designer at Opel from 1952 to 1992.

Model history

The prehistory / Opel GT Experimental

Opel GT Experimental

Development of the Opel GT began in the winter of 1963 with the production of design studies from plasticine , and a prototype called the Opel GT Experimental was shown at the 1965 IAA . The car was primarily intended to serve as an image carrier for the General Motors (GM) group. The possible introduction of a GT - sports car from Opel at the time sparked as much astonishment as enthusiasm, because a sports car did not meet the previously staid brand image of the Rüsselsheim automaker. For a long time, however, Opel did not say anything about the actual realization.

On the occasion of the opening of the test and development center in Dudenhofen , an Opel GT was released for test drive in front of the eyes of the auto press. Then the technology of the vehicle was determined. It came from large-scale production: the floor pan , chassis and 1.1 liter engine were taken over from the Kadett B ; the 1.9-liter CIH engine came from the Opel record C . The latter only fit into the car with a protrusion of the bonnet. Because of the limited space, the cylinder head cover in the front area of this engine had to be beveled.

However, the Opel management faced the problem that there was no free capacity for the new vehicle. A small series of 30,000 pieces per year, which corresponded to about a tenth of the Kadett production, could not be easily inserted into one of the existing plants. That is why the body was made by Chausson in Gennevilliers (France), while Brissonneau & Lotz in Creil (France) did the painting and interior fittings. The finished bodies were delivered to the Opel plant in Bochum, where they received the engine, transmission and axles. The targeted price of DM 10,000 , which was made known in advance through deliberate indiscretion , caused some excitement . The new Opel GT has now also been noticed in the USA .

design

Opel GT 1968–1973 rear view

1.9-liter CIH engine with valve cover sloping at the front

Opel GT with open headlights and the hood that opens to the front

Opel GT as a Targa conversion

Opel GT as a Targa conversion

Characteristic of the model were the door cut-outs, the so-called Coke-Bottle-Shape or the fender swings reminiscent of a Coca-Cola bottle and the pop-up headlights . The shape of the doors made getting in and out of the car relatively easy, despite the car's low height of 1.23 meters.

The pop-up headlights were extended and retracted using a lever placed on the center tunnel. In addition, the GT had two small headlights for high beam and headlight flasher under the front bumper. The extended pop-up headlights impaired the wind slippage of the body and reduced the possible maximum speed of the car slightly.

The Opel GT was a two-seater without a trunk with a flat luggage rack behind the two seats that was only accessible from inside the car. The seatbacks that could be folded forward were extended upwards in order to catch any items of luggage that might slip.

Manufacturing the GT

The Opel GT was initially built in the variants Opel GT 1100 and Opel GT 1900 . The 1100 cc engine of the GT 1100 develops almost 60 PS (44 kW), while the GT 1900 mobilizes 90 PS (66 kW) and reaches a top speed of 185 km / h. With the GT 1100 it was only 155 km / h. The relatively unpopular GT 1100 was discontinued in 1970. Instead, the Opel GT / J (J stands for Junior) followed, which got by without cord seats, vent windows, additional instruments and chrome-plated parts and could thus be offered at significantly lower prices . He also had fewer displays in the cockpit. The correct name for the 1900 cc version was Opel GT AL, with the A - according to the usual Opel nomenclature - standing for the first series and the L for luxury.

More than half of the total production was shipped to the USA , where GM subsidiary Buick took over the marketing while maintaining the brand name Opel. After Opel had previously been unsuccessful in selling the sedans , which were very successful in Europe, in the USA, the GT was soon accepted as a real sports car and had a rapidly growing fan base. There, the Opel GT was seen as a small Corvette (“Baby Corvette”) that had been designed by the same design team. In 1973 the production of the Opel GT was stopped. There are various reasons for this: On the one hand, after the acquisition of the automotive division of Brissonneau & Lotz by Société des Usines Chausson , which worked closely with Renault , the supply contracts for the OPEL GT bodies were terminated due to competition with the Renault Alpine A110 others, new safety regulations came into force in the USA. a. prescribed special bumpers that would have been difficult to reconcile with the shape of the GT. It is always the subject of discussions among GT enthusiasts whether GM would not continue production despite its great success, because the Opel GT was contesting market shares in the USA for the Corvette, which was also made by GM. What is certain is that the GT was very popular in the GM home market; actual cannibalization effects can be doubted, however, since the Corvette was significantly more powerful and more expensive.

A convertible or a Targa model of the Opel GT that was discussed again and again did not go into series production. A direct successor model, the "Opel GT 2" or "Opel GT 2 + 2", was not produced either.

present

Opel GT 1900 at "2000 km through Germany" on July 16, 2006

Due to the oldtimer regulation in Germany, the Opel GT has been considered a historic vehicle since 1998 and may be driven with an H license plate , provided that it is in its original condition at the time. The fact that the Opel GT is very similar to other Opel models makes conversions easier, for which 2.2 l or 2.4 l machines from the Opel Rekord or Omega, injection engines from Manta or Ascona and 5-speed gearboxes are different Opel types are suitable.

There are many GT clubs in Germany. Most of them are members of the umbrella organization of the European Opel GT clubs (see web links). Opel GT fans traditionally meet once a year for the Whitsun Eurotreffen. The venues are assigned by the umbrella association to applying members.

Technical specifications

Model:	Opel GT 1100	Opel GT 1900	Opel GT / J
Production time:	08 / 1968-05 / 1970	08 / 1968-07 / 1973	03 / 1971-07 / 1973
Engine:	longitudinally installed four-cylinder in-line engine
Valve train:	OHV	CIH
Bore × stroke:	75 × 61 mm	93 x 69.8 mm
Displacement:	1078 cc	1897 cc
Rated capacity:	44 kW (60 hp) at 5200 min -1	66 kW (90 hp) at 5100 min -1
maximum torque:	85 Nm at 4400 min -1	149 Nm at 2800 min -1
Compression ratio:	1: 9.2	1: 9.5
Carburetor:	Two Solex downflow carburetors 35 PDSI	Solex register carburetor 32/32 TDID
Crankshaft bearings:	3	5
Cooling:	Liquid cooling with pump circulation, 4.6 liters	Liquid cooling with pump circulation, 6 liters
Lubrication:	Pressure circulation, 2.8 liters of oil	Pressure circulation, 3.5 liters of oil
Power supply:	Alternator 12 V / 28 A battery 12 V / 36 Ah	Alternator 12 V / 35 A (later 45 A), battery 12 V / 44 Ah
Power transmission:	Single-disc dry clutch, fully synchronized four-speed gearbox
		optional three-speed automatic
Drive:	Cardan shaft , rear wheel drive
Front axle:	Independent suspension on double wishbones of unequal length, transverse leaf spring (wide-gap semi-spring), telescopic shock absorber
Rear axle:	Central joint axis (rigid axis), coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers
Wheelbase (mm):	2431
Front track (mm):	1278
Rear track (mm):	1254
External dimensions (mm) L × W × H:	4113 × 1580 × 1225
Empty weight kg):	845	940 (automatic: 960)	940
Total weight (kg):	1055	1160 (automatic: 1180)	1160
Top speed (km / h):	155	185 (automatic: 177)	185
0-100 km / h:	16.5 s	11.5 s (automatic 14.5 s)	11.5 s
Consumption (liters / 100 km):	11.5 great	12.5 super (automatic: 13.5 super)	12.5 great
Tank capacity:	55 liters

Advertising slogan

The advertising campaign for the Opel GT produced the slogan “Only flying is more beautiful”, created by the graphic designer and writer Carolus Horn .

Trivia

Before its market launch, the Opel GT passed a crash test that was not taken for granted at the time . At an impact speed of 50 km / h the passenger cell remained largely undeformed - which was by no means a matter of course.

The first Opel GT delivered did not have an ABE and were individually approved by the TÜV .

On May 17, 1971, an Opel GT equipped with an electric motor reached 188 km / h . A planned record run of 100 km was canceled after 44 km because the battery cells were discharged.

revival

→ Main article : Opel GT (Roadster)

In 2003, 30 years after the end of production of the first GT, Opel announced that it would revive the name.

The successor to the Opel Speedster , which expired in mid-2005, was sold as the Opel GT from spring 2007 to summer 2009 . Unlike its namesake, however, this is not a coupé, but, like its direct predecessor, a two-seater roadster. The new GT was built in the USA, together with the almost identical Saturn Sky and the more rounded Pontiac Solstice .

Web links

Commons : Opel GT  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Umbrella organization of European Opel GT clubs
• Association of Opel GT sites
• Lovers website of the old Opel GT
• Opel GT Forum

swell

• Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift (ATZ) 70 (1968), No. 12, pp. 436–437 (for most of the technical data)
• Werner Oswald : German Cars 1945–1990 . Volume 4. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2001. ISBN 3-613-02131-5
• Karl Ludvigsen & Paul Frère: Opel - wheels for the world . Princeton Publishing, Nassau NJ 1975/1979. ISBN 0-915038-17-X . Pp. 92-99

Individual evidence

1. ^ Opel: Vehicle Chronicle Volume 2: 1952–1990, pp. 42/43
2. ^ ^{A b} Reinhard Seiffert: Opel GT - Expensive fun . In auto motor und sport , issue 8/1969, pp. 40/41.
3. ^ Opel: Vehicle Chronicle Volume 2: 1952–1990, pp. 42/43
4. ↑ Wolfgang Seidel: How did the storm get into the water glass ?: Quotes that became idioms . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-423-40809-7 ( google.de [accessed February 20, 2018]).