Opel GT

[AngliaGT]

Wow. I never knew Dave Bean did Opels.

I suspect they bailed out of Opels by the time I started dealing with them, in the mid eighties when I got my Jensen Healey. Which was intended to be my daily driver while working on my Manta. How's that for brilliant practicality?

When I had my Manta I seem to recall the aftermarket sources I talked to were MantaPart and More Opel.



Sadly, GM never knew what to do with Opel, or much of anything/anybody other than their Detroit home brands. Look what they did to SAAB.

I remember seeing the "More Opel" sign (after they'd closed down,
in the early '80's,while visiting Bruce Levin's shop next door.There was a Porsce 904
out front.This was just Northeast of Seattle.
Bruce Levin raced a Porsche 956 (or a 962).He had a fleet of garbage trucks,
& part of his deal (as I understood it) was that they supplied tires for his trucks.

 

[850 Combat]

I always liked the Manta, but I liked the little sedan it was based upon more. Of course a Lotus Carlton or Omega would really be something. Still a very very fast sedan by today's standards.

 

[SaxMan]

I always liked the Manta, but I liked the little sedan it was based upon more. Of course a Lotus Carlton or Omega would really be something. Still a very very fast sedan by today's standards.

The sedans were quite handsome, but I think a lot of them sacrificed their internals to keep Opel Mantas and GTs on the road. I haven't seen one in forever.

 

[PC]

The sedans were quite handsome, but I think a lot of them sacrificed their internals to keep Opel Mantas and GTs on the road. I haven't seen one in forever.

The notchback, 2d coupe and 4d sedan, was called the Ascona in Europe but simply called the 1900 here.

I don't know what the import figures were. But I always got the impression they sold a lot more Mantas over here. I don't recall seeing too many Asconas even back in the day.

 

[JPSmit]

an awful lot like my Vauxhall GT - clearly they are cousins

OTOH - another project....

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-car...is/1379787422?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

looks like the bodywork and paint are complete

 

[PC]

OTOH - another project....

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-car...is/1379787422?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Looks like a good shell.

It would probably cost too much to source all the parts individually for a full resto. If you had the right parts car, one with decent mechanicals but a trashed body, you could probably make one good car for a reasonable cost.

 

[JPSmit]

Looks like a good shell.

It would probably cost too much to source all the parts individually for a full resto. If you had the right parts car, one with decent mechanicals but a trashed body, you could probably make one good car for a reasonable cost.

there's currently 3 or 4 others for sale for restoration - so, probably not too hard. Sigh. So many cars so little time

 

[850 Combat]

That Orange 1900 looks pretty great. I don't know how long Opels and Vauxhall Victors have been about the same. I mean they are both GM. In the mid 60s we had a couple Vauxhalls. My dad was a car painter. Usually he worked at GM dealerships. Those dealerships were obligated to take the cars in trade. Cars the dealerships didn't want were offered to the employees for little money, especially if the expected auction price was going to be close to what it would cost to auction it. One of them he painted in metallic green with a gold metallic roof. It looked really nice. They looked like a baby Oldsmobile. I remember there were a lot of hydraulic problems like wheel and master cylinders. In retrospect, they probably needed DOT 4 fluid and DOT 3 was used. The interior seemed better made than in my decade newer Cortinas. The car was stogey and completely unsporting. Mostly reliable though, except the hydraulics.

 

[Answerman]

I'm pretty sure that the Opels and Vauxhalls of the era were, not quite badge engineered, but more similar than dissimilar. Shared engineering and all of that. The Opel Manta looks suspiciously like a Vauxhall Firenza, for example.

 

[Answerman]

Hey JP: I'll be in Elkhart Lake this weekend for the Gather On The Green concours show (invitation only, they love the Metropolitan, go figure!). I'll be driving past the sign in your avatar pic. Need an updated one?

 

[JPSmit]

Hey JP: I'll be in Elkhart Lake this weekend for the Gather On The Green concours show (invitation only, they love the Metropolitan, go figure!). I'll be driving past the sign in your avatar pic. Need an updated one?

what a kind offer! but, no I am good this one is just getting broken in.

 

[PC]

.... I don't know how long Opels and Vauxhall Victors have been about the same. I mean they are both GM.....

Vauxhalls became badge-engineered Opels right around 1980.

I'm pretty sure that the Opels and Vauxhalls of the era were, not quite badge engineered, but more similar than dissimilar. Shared engineering and all of that. The Opel Manta looks suspiciously like a Vauxhall Firenza, for example.

I don't think it would be a stretch to say that most cars in that market segment, in that era, from all manufacturers, tended to have pretty similar mechanicals. It think it was just a reflection of the technology of the day.

Styling wise, there's no need to be suspicious. It's all the same crowd. GM styling was tight group in those days. People and ideas bounced back and forth, mixing and intertwined, shared across multiple divisions and projects.

The eternal debate over which came first, the Opel GT or C3 Corvette is essentially meaningless because you can't even say which is the chicken and which is the egg.