Confusion confusion

NEG said:
We are all forgetting the Opel GT1900.


This is the business. So much more pleasing to the eye than the X. The proportions are spot on, it is achingly pretty to look at compared to the X a real stunning car.
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I drove the car in the video. Compared to a X it is heavy, poor handling and not very responsive. To me the X is much more compelling, but I like the looks of the mini Corvette.
 
At the time it came out, the magazines all liked the styling and were not impressed by performance. I never realized there was an injected version. You can get a modern version of it, take a look at a Miata RF, very similar lines.
 
In the early 80s when I started autocrossing, we had a guy with an Opel GT start about the same time. I drove his car and was less than impressed with its performance. My 1300 X was much quicker on course.

Also, I always thought the styling just missed the mark. Something about the execution that it didn't quite pull off the "look". Sort of like taking the designer dress off the supermodel and putting it on the maid.
 
carl said:
The press kept calling it a baby Vette. which I thought was rather silly
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The press was only propagating the GM talking points at the time. GM's intent was to have to the consuming public believe that it actually was a mini-Vette. The Corvette styling influence was very intentional, but styling on a lackluster platform suffered the same fate most of these exercises do - looks but little else.
 
Back to the original post, I went to a cars and coffee this morning and was asked if it was a TR7 by one person and a Ferrari by another. A confusion twofer.
 
I've had several of the German made Opels over the years, including the GT. Yes they were heavy and underpowered, not high performance cars. However they were also indestructible, ridiculously reliable, and lasted forever without much fuss. Furthermore they were very comfortable, great driving for trips or cruising, easy and inexpensive to maintain, and all around excellent quality in every aspect. As much as I like the X, if you're honest you really cannot say any of these things about it. One thing I hated about the GT was the tendency for Americans to refer to it as a baby vette....I hate American cars and that just ruined it for me.

The later (1975) German Opels were fuel injected with a Bosch system very much like on the US X's. However the FI ones sold in the US also came with the larger "impact regulation" bumpers, much like the later X's. Unfortunately the GT was discontinued the year before the FI was offered, so I do not believe it ever had FI (at least as far as I know in the US). But that also meant the GT never saw the big 'impact' bumpers, which would have killed the body style.

But in regard to this thread, I'm not sure the Opel GT is a "wedge"?
 
It’s wedge’ish with some curves. AFAIU it was done on the cheap by GM Europe (Germany) raiding the GM parts bin like Fiat raided theirs for the x. It was a European designed car and a GT, clue is in the name, low cost but comfortable and drive able over distance. I see the resemblance to a Vette but not sure it was ever meant to be 1/2 of one as some of the US reports say. They made 103k of them apparently so not bad and I still think it looks great 👍
 
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