This 1969 Opel GT is a black plate California car that had been barn stored for 33 years. The car was laid up by the seller’s neighbor’s father, and after said neighbors planned a move out-of-state, the seller acquired the Opel as a project. Sadly, he’s not going to move forward with it, which is a shame as the car looks more complete than most GTs we see that have been stuck in long-term limbo. Bidding is active but the reserve remains unmet; find the Opel here on eBay with the current bid just under $5K.
Despite hardly ever seeing one of these in person, they pop up as projects quite often. Maybe they just weren’t big sellers in my neck of the woods, but I’m curious where the hotbed of Opel GT enthusiasts reside as they always seem to command respectable attention when posted up for sale. This one just looks plain solid from all angles, with good paint and nice chrome, not to mention all of its badges intact and lenses appearing to be uncracked.
For some reason, most of the Opel GTs we see posted as barn finds come across as being total basketcases. It seems like a very easy car to take apart, but much harder to put back together – either because of boredom or technicalities. I’m not sure they were ever seen as great driver’s cars, so perhaps inspiration depletes once you’re staring at a garage full of parts. Regardless, this GT has not suffered from that fate, as even the interior still looks reasonably sound, with untorn bucket seats and an original steering wheel.
The Opel is described as “running when parked” due to the fact that it was running when it went into storage but the seller has not attempted to fire it up due to rotten fuel lines. However, I would remain somewhat confident of an easy resurrection once the fuel lines are sorted as this thing just looks too complete. The seller notes no rust underneath, and that some of the paint revealed a nice shine when buffed out. Although it looks like a great starting point, here’s hoping the reserve isn’t foolishly high.
This is rhe largest engine available in these combined with a 4 speed manual
On the negative side “car was put in storage in 86!” Yet the pictures are in a fancy garage and on a lift!! Who puts a car on a lift and dont offer a single underside photo?
Screams rust to me….
@Poppapork. Yep, he has supplied plenty of detailed pictures of everything about the car except the underside. If I were a serious buyer, and before I parted with a cent, I would want some equally detailed pics of the underside.
My sister owned one of these. Her boyfriend shot it twice with a .45. True story.
This is a 1.1 OHV car, kinda rare, but, not overtly so. The BIG engine is the 1.9 CIH. The Opelers in the US congregate on opelgt.com, so fear not, this one is already been noticed.
The add clearly states 1.9L
Whos lying?
Valve cover is not from a 1.9. The 1.9 head is wider and the cover is ribbed aluminum. The 1.1 was a dog but in Europe resulted in lower road tax in some countries.
As far as rust concerns, Southern California does have genuine survivor cars.
Car is in Riverside, a very dry place. From what we can see, carpets out, it is a dry car. Some people just don’t think to show the underside still. I’ve bought cars older then this here in Southern Ca that were so clean underneath you could eat off of them.
Drop in a Buick 215 with a Ford T-5, 5 speed or a baby 400 if it is for the wife, stiffen the suspension and bigger brakes and you have a heck of a driver.
I still don’t understand what difference a black license plate makes. Big deal.
Black Ca. plates are older more or less original that came with the car when you buy it new at that time. These Opel GT are a blast to drive and quite dependable and easy to repair. I had one and drove it till it rusted out. If I live in Riverside, Ca. I’d drop by and inspect it and since it’s on a lift might as well look under to check for RUST…I noticed that the muffler is missing in the picture. Good luck.