(from GM Opel Press Release)
A great name doesn’t have to be long. Indeed, for many automobile fans,
the Opel GT is the cult sports car of the 1970s.
Now the legendary name is making a comeback in
the form of a stunning two-seat roadster that
could also make automobile history. Opel will
present the all-new GT to the international
public for the first time at the Geneva Motor
Show (March 2 to 12, 2006). With exciting,
sharply-cut lines, rear-wheel drive, and a
potent four-cylinder turbo engine with gasoline
direct injection, the new sports car echoes the
successful concept of the original GT, which was
built between 1968 and 1973.
“The GT is a powerful addition to our range of
attractive niche products, and thereby further
enhances the appeal of the Opel brand”, says
Carl-Peter Forster, President of GM Europe. “The
Tigra, the Astra TwinTop, and the new GT mean
that we will have three very different models,
all of which deliver top-down driving
excitement. Moreover, the GT is a perfect
example of how GM uses and applies its worldwide
resources for the good of the individual
brands.”
The new Opel GT is fun to drive thanks to its
front engine and rear-wheel drive, which
together ensure a balanced weight distribution,
and its 260-hp 2.0-liter ECOTEC turbo engine
with gasoline direct injection. This accelerates
the new GT from zero to 100 km/h in less than
six seconds, and enables a maximum speed of over
230 km/h.
Another fun factor is the fabric roof, which
folds down to provide open-air enjoyment denied
to the owners of the first GT. The roof
disappears completely beneath a cover, further
underlining the GT’s sporty silhouette with
short overhangs and widely spaced
18-inch wheels.
The development of the new Opel GT is an
excellent example of transcontinental
collaboration within GM. The design was inspired
by the VX Lightning concept car, which was
conceived by the GM Advanced Design Studio in
Birmingham, England in May 2003 for the 100th
anniversary of the Vauxhall brand. The new GT
will be built in Wilmington/Delaware, in the
USA, where its sister models, the Pontiac
Solstice and the Saturn Sky, are also produced.
The Opel GT is scheduled to hit the markets in
spring 2007.
The original Opel GT owed much to the USA - in
several respects. Its breathtaking lines were
inspired by a new American design style, the
so-called “coke bottle shape”, which also
defined the Corvette Stingray. Furthermore, two
thirds of all Opel GT cars built have been
exported to the United States.
