The listing now says sold, but this 1972 Opel GT is too sweet not to share. Oftentimes, when a GT does come up for sale, it’s a fairly wretched basketcase that someone is asking too much money for. In this case, I’d say it’s worth every penny considering the condition. The asking price was $6,500 with a clean title and some recent work completed, like a new Weber carb. Find it here on craigslist in Minnesota.
This car still has some minor needs including a few oil leaks, but most of the to-do’s seem like tasks you could address over two or three weekends. The seller says the Opel was originally blue, but it looks like the repaint was done well, with all badges and lenses removed and re-installed prior to painting (it just looks that clean). The original wheels and trim rings are a nice look, too.
Bumpers were replaced with new units, and a complete rear differential was also sourced and installed to replace the noisy original. The seats have been protected with lambswool covers and are said to remain in good order. There’s a tear in the headliner that will have to be addressed, but the door panels appear sound as does the dash. It seems like someone cherished this Opel since new, doesn’t it?
I mean, the original radio doesn’t work, but I can’t recall the last time I saw a factory unit in the dash. The carb, exhaust, and radiator are all fairly recent replacements, but the seller recommends fitting new tires. Although the listing says sold, you never know if a buyer will flake out or fail to turn up with the cash. If nothing else, this is a benchmark more Opel GT owners should try to set before selling their baby ‘Vette.
Really nice car, I prefer,think that the the 4 spoke Rallye type wheels look better, though! :-)
Well, it certainly looks like somebody scored a deal by acting quickly.
It does look like a nice job was done when it was repainted. Repainting a vehicle can have a profound effect on it’s appearance.
I concur, The 4 spoke rally wheels with trim rings and center caps are the way to go. I learned to drive and took my test in a 1974 Opel Manta. Great in the snow in PA, very reliable, and fun to drive with the 4 speed. A friend had a GT in college. He was a big guy but had no trouble driving his. Lots of laughs. My family had a lot of Opels, including a station wagon. We never owned a GT though. Mom still has her Manta 4-speed, dark blue, blue cloth interior and vinyl top in the garage. I’d buy it from her if I had the room in my shop.
Your Mom’s Manta sounds like it’s a Luxus model. Mine was a ‘73 Manta Rallye, 4sp. in Chrome Yellow I bought new my senior year in HS. Miss that fun car to this day!
Had a ’73 Manta Luxus myself, a couple of years later, first car I ever “bought on time”. Only had it a couple of years, but really liked it. Quite a plush interior for imports of the day- must have been a “Buick thing”.
Beautiful looking car. I had a neighbour when I was a boy who owned one. Although his was a hideous chocolate brown colour, the car itself looked really nice. I was too young to drive at the time, but I still remember finding the car attractive to look at. It’s way better looking than anything produced today.
Did anyone grab an engine photo (if one was shown)? I went to a 32/36 on mine and fabbed an adapter plate in order to use the stock air cleaner housing and was wondering if he used one of those mesh housings and if anything else non-stock jumped out.
It would’ve been nice had someone done that, taken pics of the engine compartment.
Did owned one of the Baby Vette orange ’73 GT with the 1.9 L engine! I missed it….. unfortunately it rusted out in ’81 because I grew up in the Wash D.C. area. Too bad we don’t have those Gems anymore….it was simple (even for German made!), cheap to repair and had a go-kart kind of handling! What attracted me to buy one was the Baby Vette body and the simplicity of the pop up headlights! My parents also bougtht a’74 Manta GT with automatic trans and OMG orange! We missed the old good reliable Opel brand of yesteryear.