1972 Opel GT -

Texas Car - Recent engine rebuild - New Tires and Brakes - Rising Collector Car -

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“… 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 1972 Opel GT offered here features the larger of two engines offered, an original 1.9-liter 4-cylinder powerplant. Paperwork included with the car show the hours of work that was completed when rebuilding the engine. Pistons, valve seats, gaskets, timing chain and tensioner, bearings, lifters, hoses, and the fan are among the many parts replaced.

The small body of the car was repainted in a Silver metallic very similar to the silver hue that Opel offered from the factory. The body is in good condition, all the necessary trim is present, bumpers are dent free, and center caps and trim rings on the wheels look great. Inside this sports coupe is a pretty standard looking Opel GT interior. Black bucket seats, black dashboard with multiple clear gauges, a few aftermarket speakers, and the headlight lever are all highlights of the interior.

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. Be sure to check out all the photos and video on our main website: Garage Kept Motors. Call if interested or e-mail with any questions. Thank you for looking.