Tuesday, September 2, 2014

1971 Opel GT Needs a Loving Home

 

Boldride
                    
            

 

 
Normally, vintage sports cars of a certain German origin will cost you an arm and a leg…as well as your friend’s arms and legs. Not so in the case of this lovely 1971 Opel GT, which is currently up for sale for a relatively affordable price.

The eldest of you might remember the tiny Opel as that other car sold in Buick dealerships back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But it was a bit more than that.



 
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The Opel GT, which made its production debut in 1968, melded the worlds of commuter cars and sportscars, literally. Opel assembled the sports car’s sweeping body on top of a humble Opel Kadett chassis. Economy car or not, it remains quite the looker.

And those similarities to the C3 Corvette aren’t a coincidence either. The GT’s designer, Clare MacKichan, previously penned cars for GM in the ‘50s, which explains the visual family tree.




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Its Kadett origins means the Opel GT sports a transverse leaf front suspension, front disc and rear drum brakes, a coil-sprung rear axle, and a four-speed manual transmission. This model, being an American version, sports the firm’s larger 1.9-liter four-cylinder, rated at 102 horsepower.

Even by Opel’s own advertisements, it was claimed that the GT wouldn’t accelerate like a race car – though the material alleged it would stop like one. Clever ad men, clever.




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The selling point on this car is absolutely its remarkable, well-preserved condition, especially given its location in the oh-so-wintery Northeast (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania). Included in the sale are many of the car’s original documents, including the owner’s manual and original options list, as well as an extensive service history.



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Mileage is unlisted, but going off the dozens of photos on the site, everything looks well looked-after and fairly original. Though, we hope the original Opel ski rack – referenced in the owner’s docs – is included as part of the deal. You can check out the listing here for only $19,500.

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