10 Weird Facts About The Opel GT

The Opel GT is a car for all ages, with two very distinct generations to choose from!

In 1968, American consumers were getting tired of seeing the lower-priced sports car options because they were starting to look outdated. This may be why the Opel GT was such a success - it was new to the market, bringing with it a new name and smaller size, though there was a somewhat larger sports car that was pushed onto the market the same year. This may be because when the designers working on the Opel GT agreed upon the style of the new car, they took cues from many of the other automakers of the nation. In this case, they took most of the styling from Chevrolet but drivetrain and engine ideas from the European sports cars. Let's dig into the Opel GT a little more to discover what really made it tick.

Related: Meet The Classic 'Vette's European Baby Brother; The Opel GT

If the 1968 Opel GT looks familiar to another car produced for the 1968 model year, it would be a common thought and one that is correct. Consumers automatically dubbed the new Opel as the 'baby Corvette' because the exterior was similar to the '68' Vette, except for its size. The Opel looked more like a baby version of the iconic Chevy, but it has also been stated that both companies took styling ideas from the concept car designed by Bill Mitchell and his team, the Mako Shark II.

Many cars have sported pop-up headlights through the years, with as many different ways for them to work. Most of them were operated via switched vacuum lines, which is why the method that controlled the Opel GT's pop-up headlights is so unique. The pop-up lights in the Opel are controlled with a manually operated lever placed in the center console by the gear shifter. When pulled, both lights rotate counterclockwise until they are open. From there, you turn the lights on, and away you go.

Related: Why We Love The 2007 Opel GT

Another strange thing about the original Opel GT was the lack of a trunk or hatch in the back of the car. Even though the spare tire and jack can be found where most normal vehicles have them placed, in the Opel GT, there was a more complicated way of gaining access to it. A small shelf can be found through the main doors in the back of the car, which can be removed to allow access to a fold-up panel. Once this panel is moved, the spare tire and the jack can be removed from the car.

Even though the engines in various brands and models of vehicles are different when engineered, there are some commonalities that they all have. One of the most common design concepts under the hood of a car is the location of the brake fluid reservoir and booster mounted on the firewall. This location provides a fair distance the pressure applied through the brake fluid has to travel to the front and rear brake calipers. The Opel GT fell away from this common concept with the brake fluid reservoir up front, close to the nose. It was, and still is, considered to be a strange reversal of part locations.

Related: The Origins Of Opel's Experimental GT

One big issue that many sports car makers had was the length and weight of the doors. Since sports cars were typically only designed to have two seats, the two-door coupes had extra long doors in the front that consistently had issues with closing because the weight would damage or deform the hinges over time. Opel solved this problem with an innovative way of opening the door. The hinges were designed to pull the entire door outward before opening, which helped relieve the amount of pressure that the heavy doors had on the hinges that were welded directly to the frame.

In 1965, Opel created a stir in the European market by showing off the Opel GT concept car. The swooping curves of the vehicle showed outright that it was made to be aerodynamic, which was a design that did not fit in with the majority of other cars on the market. One of the most popular marketing schemes from the '60s for any car was that of the Opel GT. That saying was "Only Flying Is More Exciting," which, of course, could have been said about the Corvette, since it was initially designed to be a zippy sports car for the masses of soldiers coming back home after WWII ended.

Related: This Is Why The 1970 Opel GT Fastback Was Nicknamed "Baby Corvette"

Classic cars have a way of making a comeback after the nameplate has been retired, but most do not take 34 years. The Opel GT did make a comeback as a second-generation model from 2007 to 2010, which was 34 years after the original Opel was put on the shelf due to a lack of adequate sales numbers.

The differences between the two can easily be seen when they are parked next to each other, as can their similarities. The design and engineering put into the cars do not show a gradual shift towards technology, but instead, the Opel GT lept from one era to the other, without anything in between.

The first generation Opel GT was produced and sent off the lot with a small 1.1-liter engine if the buyer did not choose the bigger 1.9-liter, which most did. The original GT was stylish, fast, and high performing, so it did gain a reputation as an affordable sports car, but it is nothing compared to the second-generation vehicles. They simply screamed out how fast they were by the exterior styling of the car, but the great thing is that the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that pushes out 260 horses backs up the bold statement created by design.

Related: 2016 Opel GT Concept

Driving a sports car is an exhilarating experience like no other, but it can also be perilous. When the new generation of Opel GT was designed, safety was one of the most significant considerations. The side members are created from hydro-formed metal, and the steel sheets have centrally placed tubes forming a rigid structure that can take some punishment. To help remove the probability of testing the metal frame out, the car is equipped with electronic stability controls, traction control, and anti-lock brakes.

Sports cars never seem to go out of style, so even though Opel had not had great luck with the sales of the Opel GT, it decided to give the car one more try in 2016. The 2016 Opel GT concept car received some decent responses, but the trends for sports cars were on the decline. The company was also sold, and the new owners were not sure about the new design of an old car, so the concept car was just that, a concept that never got off the ground.

If talking about being fast in a straight-line run, the Opel GT could accelerate from 0 to 60 in under 11 seconds, which is not too bad. The second generation Opel GT could complete the same pass in under 6 seconds, so as you can see, as technology improved, so did the speed of the Opel GT.

Even though the 1968 Opel GT has been called the baby Corvette for many years because of the design similarities and the same concept in parts, the Opel GT is not a 'Vette. It has its own design, name, and many differences, so besides the similarity in looks, the Opel GT is far from a Corvette.

Back in 2016, a concept car was shown to the people in an attempt to gain some popularity once again. However, the company found that the trends were moving away from sports cars, so the idea was thrown out, and the Opel GT was left in retirement.

There are many variables when talking about the value of a car, so when it comes to a classic of any type, the best way is to look through some of the most recent auctions. In this case, auction sales show that the Opel GT is worth an average of $13,000.

Chad has been a muscle car and classic truck lover since he could walk. The classic vehicles from the '60s and '70s are the best in his eyes, but he is more than willing to give the new technology a chance!