Opel GT’s pop up on Barn Finds several times a year, but we don’t usually see one in this kind of “well-maintained” condition – or with as much owner documentation – as this 1971 example. The current seller bought this Flame Red Opel GT from the original owner in 1973 with 19,000 miles on the odometer. And by the look of the photographs provided, it has been pampered and well taken care of for the past 48 years. Located in Keene, New Hampshire, this 1971 Opel GT is listed here on Craigslist for an asking price of $17,500. A big thanks goes out to NHDave for sending us this tip.
I remember seeing Opel GT’s on the road when I was a teenager in the early 70s and thought these little “Mini-Vettes” were flat out cool. I didn’t know GM imported them from Germany and that they were sold at, of all places, Buick dealerships. Talk about a juxtaposition! Even though they were small (162″ overall length), the GT had great, curvy lines and proportions, and with its blend of Corvette and European styling, I thought it was one sleek and sexy little coupe. It didn’t look anything like the other German imports that were hitting our shores at the time or its distant cousin, the conservatively styled Opel Kadett, which had been selling in the US since the mid-1960s. One has to appreciate a seller who provides good quality photographs and detailed documentation of repairs and maintenance (all records since 1973 have been kept in a 3-ring binder). The 22 photographs tell the story and condition of this exceptional-looking GT.
Even though it qualifies for AARP, this GT doesn’t look 50 years old inside or outside. It’s Flame Red paint is shiny and I can’t spot any major issues with the car’s exterior. (I’m not sure if the current owner added the splash guards or not.) Rust can be a big enemy of these Opel GT’s and none can be seen in the photos. The seller states that it is a solid original car with no rust and that it has been kept stock, including the AM/FM radio. It was repainted in 1997 and photos are provided. Most Opel GT’s came with black interiors and this one looks exceptional and inviting. The seats, dash, and 4-speed shifter all look very good. Based on several Opel GT Buying Guide sites I found online, cracks in dashboards and steering wheels are common. The dash looks fine and the seller states that the original style steering wheel was replaced in 2018. New black carpet was added in 2014.
Under the front-hinged hood, you’ll find a very clean and tidy engine bay that houses the GT’s 1897cc inline four-cylinder engine. Its 89 horses were capable of moving it from 0-60 in 11 seconds with a top speed of 115 mph. Plus, it got 28 mpg. Not too shabby. This ’71 Opel GT currently shows 122,000 on the odometer. The engine was rebuilt, transmission resealed, and a new clutch was installed 5,800 miles ago in 2013. Maintenance performed over the past four years is listed in the ad and includes a Weber Carb, stainless steel 2″ exhaust, Petronix electronic ignition, upper and lower ball joints, KYB front and rear shocks, rear coil springs, front calipers and hoses, oil pan gasket, parking brake cables, and a new brake master cylinder. All-in-all, this appears to be one exceptional Opel GT (1 of over 70,000 sold in the U.S. between 1969-1973) that can be driven and enjoyed for hopefully another 50 years. Its lucky third owner is out there somewhere. Could it be you?
Another beautiful automotive design. Most people today seeing you in this car would think you were driving an exotic. Makes me think of the Toyota GT for a million less.
This is pretty, what is it?
Toyota 2000 GT of James Bond fame.
IMO it’s absolute sacriledge that the above 2000gt has black painted wiper arms. NO car in ’71 or earlier had them – not even imports. They had grey or polished chrome stainless steel ones.
Dumbest idea EVER(after black painted windshield & rear window frames), later to peel off & show the cheap rusting non stainless arms underneath – just to save a few bucks on the assembly line.
It looks to be a pretty nice car that’s been well maintained and the seller/owner does a very good job with the description and pics. But it sits awfully high and seems that it should have larger/nicer wheels/tires.
Seems like a lot of money for what it is, but if Tom thinks it is ok, I will go for it.
Neighbor across the street has a 70’s Vette…..also known as a “Maxi-GT”.
If this relationship was noted in all future Vette write-ups it would clear up a lot of confusion…..
Sure wish it ran as good as it looks…
My wife had one and guess who had to maintain it, (like every other weekend) and pick her up when it would just stop running?
So when we traded it in, the Toyota dealer gave us a flat $1000.00 and we never looked back. Sure looks good though.
It looks like the original owner brought the car in Germany and had it shipped back, probably after he toured Europe in it, or maybe he was a GI who got Uncle Sam to ship it back for him. KYBs probably gave it a little lift.
Is there a way of telling if it has the 1.9 liter engine? Some of these had 1.1 liter engines, and they were slow.
I guess I’m old, because I don’t look at a five-figure Opel and think bargain. I remember when these were falling off the road for lack of parts support in the mid-80s. Even if you could find a nice one then, there wasn’t much value because driving one meant it would break and you’d be looking for used parts.
That wide flat looking valve cover that you see in these photos belongs to the 1.9 liter. The 1.1 liter would have a more narrow domed topped valve cover.
Show car only…..wouldn’t trust it driving around very far.
Opel GT is on my bucket list. Soon. Soon.
Adding the Pertronix and the Weber should correct the reliability issues. Maintaining the correct oil level is the rest of the battle because the small sump leaves little room for loss. When I bought a ’74 Opel, first thing I did was replace the 5.60×13 nylon Goodyears with 185/70 Michelin ZXx.
I knew a guy who put a aluminum V6 in one of these back in the 80’s……the thing was very quick!
Nice looking car. I had a neighbour when I was a boy who had an Opel GT. His was a chocolate brown colour. I don’t know what the name of the colour Opel called it. It was a name I called it, because it looked like a dark brown colour.
I love these Opel GT “baby” Corvettes as they were sometimes referred to around these parts. Because of the steering wheel and column being fixed, these are very awkward to drive if you are tall because of limited head room plus your knees have to straddle each side of the wheel. It looks like based on the obvious wear on the driver’s side edge of the console, whoever owns this Opel GT has experienced the same challenges as I did.
You can get a couple years old Miata for that money.
I saw a car that looked similar to this but it was built on a GM chassis. The scale was all wrong, as it seemed too big. From what I could tell it appeared to be a fiberglass knock-off. Thank you Opel for providing classic styling in a fun economical car.