My first car was 1971 Opel GT. It had modified head valve work and exhaust for increased airflow, dual downdraft carbs, and head milled to max allowable for increased compression. Custom suspension and really wide tires on aluminum Hurricane wheels helped its handling ability. It was very quick for a normally aspirated I4.
I had a '69 GT back in the early 80's and I loved it. a family friend had one long ago and I always wanted one. It wasn't perfect, driving with the windows down managed to get exhaust into the car. I didn't really care, I loved that thing, I got to know the car well, really did like the engine, gearbox was another thing, I remember the gear spacing to be weird. handling was good, at least that's what i thought when I was 22 years old. These cars are all but gone, and I miss mine. Loved the interior, gauges, switches and who couldn't love the headlight lever!
I test drove a new 1970 in the Leesburg Florida area when I was 15, just after getting my learners permit. It had good performance, was fun to drive, but a bit expensive around $3,500 giver or take a few hundred. I know that sounds cheap now, but back then you could buy a new Gremlin under $2,000. The one I drove was red and had the automatic transmission. I wanted the car but couldn't convince mom. I loved the GT because it looked like a Corvette, but sized like most of the sports cars then.
Thanks for all of your videos. I binge watched many of your videos and I've learned a great deal. I just bought a 69 GT and the knowledge you've passed on is much appreciated.
Dad taught all of us kids to drive a stick in our GT. We also had a Manta Rally that was a blast to drive. Believe it or not, we were able to put our family of five in this (sporty) hopped-up lawn mower (yes, three kids crammed onto the little platform behind the seats). 😊❤😊❤😊
That's one sharp GT you have there! My first car was a 1973 Green Opal GT. And naturally with the headlights on everyone called it Kermit. I really liked it but didn't have much to compare it to back then. It never left me stranded, well except for that time I hit the side of a mountain, but even then a little banging with the crowbar and I was good.
Thank you! Yes the headlights definitely look like frog eyes. They are great little cars. Mine has never left me stranded either, but have had to use some road side ingenuity a few times:)
As a young kid in Dallas Tx I saw many on the road and had a neighbor who drove one. I always liked the way these little cars looked and seeing this 1 in the video makes me realize that I still think they have a pretty cool look 👍. I bet it would be fun to resto-mod one of these tiny Vets 😁
nice rundown. i had a late '73 (orange/red taillights) for 8 years. i upgraded to weber carb, removed the egr valve, slightly larger tires (195s(?)) on slightly wider enkei rims, stronger battery, low-flow muffler and 4-tip ansa resinator and kept it maintained so it was very dependable. also added a couple shims behind the oil pump relief spring to bump up the oil pressure a bit. the ride would get really light at speed and it would begin to "float" at around 100. highest speed for me was around 130 - just once. recall the tach number reading was half that of the speedo (e.g., 35(00) at 70 mph) and that position of the needles pointed to same position on face (straight up at 70mph/3500 rpm) in 4th gear. amp, oil and temp needles were in center of gauge faces at operating rpm/temp (for quick reference?). lower compression (7.6:1) engine was otherwise stock and got about 35 mpg. it was pretty tired by time i sold it w/269k. new owner trashed it in less than 90 days. a few details i can recall: - very early models had 2-piece front bumper, hand brake mounted on side - instead of top - of the tunnel and no console tray or rear side marker lamp. i think earliest 1.9l had star stamp (high compression) on cylinder head. - other early models had "s" stamp on cylinder head (9:1(?) compr.) rectangular indicators mounted in a removable panel between the speedo and tach, contoured headlight handle, pop-up ash tray lid, hi/lo beam button on turn signal, stationary rear quarter windows and up/down arrows only on the heater controls. - 1.1l model had dual carbs and smaller brake cylinders/shoes (same as the kadet) and was embarrassingly underpowered. - gt/j had blacked out bumpers, flat black "gt/j" stripe, indicator lights instead of temp/oil pressure, fog light switch and clock deletes (saw a few of these when i lived in europe). - european models had sway bars and clear (instead of amber) turn signal lamps under front bumper. most also did not have rear side marker lamps. - late '73s got the two-color taillights, "lite" (instead of light symbol) rocker switch in dash, "GT" only (no gm badge) on back panel, and deleted foglight switch under the heater controls, which had air flow arrows and "def." - all gt models had european parking lamp feature built into the turn signal - lever up or down will power the left or right marker lamp when key switch is off. - hella fog lamps from rally cadet will fit between bumperettes and license plate under front bumper. rectangular hella 550 lamps would also fit in same space. stock rocker switch for fog lamps only has enough power to engage a relay. the 4-tip ansa exhaust (from an opel parts dealer in tolland, ct) fit very well and sounded great. many parts were interchangable with other models (e.g., kadet, 1900, manta). i searched many wrecking yards for a limited slip diff but never found one. agree with your points regarding soft control arms, low hp, soft suspension (light inside rear wheel) and "5-alarm dead short" headlight wiring (design has them wired direct - no fuses). would also add that the rear defogs were junk and that 3rd gear synchro, torque tube bearing/rubber snubber, "tinker toy" headlight mechanism, charging relay and key switch were weak points.
I had a friend with one of these, and myself drove a 74 Manta Rallye Sport while I was in high school. I laughed out loud when you talked about Miatas. Thank you for this video. Rock on with that Opel GT, it's sweet. >.> Love the design on the GT, would rather drive a Manta, though.
Great commentary. The one other thing to mention is the surprising amount of driver room. I am 6'4" and LOVE climbing out of mine in public..."How the Hell do you fit in there?" is such a common question.
Truth be told, I do have to dodge the steering wheel a bit with my clutch leg knee when shifting, but getting out with the roofline at my belly button is worth it. Peace, fellow Opeler...Ken2
A friend of my dads had one when I was a kid. I used to love sitting in it and pulling the headlight lever open and closed. If they didn't have major rust problems I'd buy one and restore it. Their still nice looking little cars !
Dave Lewis rust is an issue on many of them. There are tons of rust free examples out there though. The value for rust free ones has been skyrocketing the last 2 years though
Back in 1969, I went to the New York Auto Show to see this car. It was gold, 1.9 liter engine and it was hard to get close to the car to get a close look. Lichtenburg Robbins Buick, in Queens, owned this one, and it was for the show only. It was the first one in the country. The salesman walked over to me, as I was staring at it for about two hours, walking around it over and over. He asked if I wanted to sit in it, and I smiled, wryly, and shook my head yes. I sat in it, and he closed the door. Yup! I wanted this car! We talked for awhile, and he said that I would be able to have it after the show and it was the only model, so they needed it in the showroom for a month .. at least. If I remember, it was $2100.00. We talked and finally agreed that I could have it right after the show, and it was back at the dealership. I got the call that it was back in the dealership, so I went with my friend Mike to pick it up. I lived in Brooklyn. When i got there they said that I had to wait a month. I took out cash .. $3400.00, I believe, they prepped it and I drove it home right then and there. Money talks. That car moved. It was a low flying jet. Fishtailed in turns at speed, so I learned to speed shift. I used to go out at daybreak, and get on the Belt Parkway .. out to Long Island .. past Kennedy Airport. Whenever I took that car out, crowds gathered around. Red lights, stop signs, It was hard to go anywhere. Went into Manhattan, and nobody knew what it was. Those were the days ... yes, those were the days.
My step dad had an Opel GT at the same time I started driving. The Opel was the car they wanted me driving and that was cool with me. It was gutless, but drove great and everyone liked it's looks.
The first couple years of Chevrolet Vega had the same 4-speed transmission, and the Pontiac T1000 5-speed will fit perfectly with only modification to the upper two bell housing holes and the drive shaft length. The input shaft, splines and pilot bearing are the same size. The 5-speed shifter comes out about 4 inches further back and you need to cut the parcel tray/console to make it look nice. I had a red 1969 GT with a 1975 Manta fuel injection and that 5-speed. I loved how nice it rode down the highway. It didn't have A/C, though and that would make it perfect. BTW, it was an early 1969 with rectangular indicator lamps in the center and the horn button was a little button on the end of the turn signal stalk. Edit for clarification: The 5-speed aluminum bell housing upper 2 bolt holes needed to be filed/elongated upward, as they were lower than the holes in the block. Otherwise, all the other bolts and the dowel pins lined up perfectly. Even the clutch release lever arm and release bearing are the same.
Erhart Schnell designed the Opel Corsa and the Opel Calibra too. I run a 2001 3 cylinder Corsa 60hp 1litre. Quirky, nippy and economic. Erhart said the Calibra design was his favourite. He died this year (2020). The headlight operation of the Gt is unique.
Thanks, I really enjoyed it. I never owned a GT, but I had 3 Opels with the 1.9 CIH engine, so I'm a big fan. I had a 70 Kabett B Rallye w/1.9 S engine, which might be the same engine as in your GT, although the valve cover was different. I also had a 74 Manta A and a 75 1900 sedan (Ascona A). That one had a 19E engine (fuel injected). If you have ever had problems with starting due to the distributor getting wet in rainy weather, I remember that the Manta and 1900 had a plastic shield that fit over the distributor cap & wires. I don't know if it is still available, but if it is, it might be useful to you if you can find one.
Thank you!!! Yes I have one of those covers on my GT. They are actually pretty hard to come across nowadays I have the technical service bulletin Opel issued to Buick dealer addressing the rainy start issue:)
@Tom Lewis,yes the KadettB 1.9S cih is the exact same engine as used in GT's,as for the aluminium headcover with sloping front only on GT's for reasons of limited space under the hood. As far as i recall also only GT's had an Aluminium carterpan.The headcover was a much sought after part in the whole Opel Custom scene in the "80-"90,for it fittet the most common used 1.9-2.4 engines at that time.
I had a 1970 1.9 litre.I loved that car and the memories.I was a Senior in High School at the time.There is a great hiding place under the ashtray (it pops out).Will hold a few buds underneath.Also if you have one of these and it starts blowing massive amounts of blue smoke out the exhaust.It will stop after a minute or so.Do not panic it is only brake fluid being dumped into the exhaust.This is due to a faulty one eay valve on the brake master cylinder.They arenot that expensive and after replacing the valve,no more smoke problems The girst time ithappened to me,I thought the worst.Also as mentioned here I think.I replaced the carb with a 4 barrel weber carb.The tires would spin out in third and fourth gears.
Thank you! This video as doubled in views overnight! May I ask how you got to the video? Was a suggestion on another video or has it been posted on the internet somewhere?
@@OpelPower Lol I got to it because I just bought a ford focus svt 04 and they guy had an opel gt sitting in his garage that was so perfect but it has not been run in 10+ years. He said its got under 5k miles on it and I was super curious as to what that sexy little rare car that was sitting there is.
Owned a 69 1.9 litre blue with two white stripes running in the middle of the bonnet to the rear, until a white van man skidded and rammed his Ford Transit into the back of my car and written it off in 1976. I still miss it even today.
My Uncle Owned a Buick/Pontiac Dealership so my Old Man had more than a few Opel's. I had a Opel GT with the 1100 - it was nothing but trouble - Vacuum Leaks, Vapor Lock, and Ignition Problems Plagued that Cool Little Car. I had a '74 Manta Rallye 1900 which was much better IMO...I Will Always Remember the Quirky things like the Squishy Foot Pedal Thing for the Window Washers....
Thanks a lot for this magnificant video! Really well documented, only little flaw in your comment is that only US GT's came without anti roll-(sway)bars,not true,also all EU GT's upto "70 came without, though it was an option to have them installed.
Thank you! And thanks for the correction. So I guess they added the sway bars for 1971. Did the Euro GTs ever have a factory front bar, or was it only an option?
@@OpelPower, As far as i can remember reading documentation,after the modellyear '69 all GT's were fitted with factory installed Anti roll/Sway bars,both front and rear,before that year this was only an option. So all post '69 GT's should have come with sway bars. The main differences in EU and US versions were; the color of the round indicators glass in lower front,orange red in US,/Clear glass used as fog light in EU. The glass of the main headlight differs,H4 for EU The red rectangular side markers in rear sides,/not fitted at all in EU cars. The optional color sceme of interior upholstery differs,for instance the color"Buckskin" was not available in EU. I'm not sure about the AC system,but as far as my memory goes i think this was only US option aswell. someone correct me if i'm wrong please. Also very interesting is the GT-aero project
My first car was a 71 gt gutless wonder with way too many miles! Thanks dad! I still can’t smell starter fluid without traumatic flashbacks of spraying it in my carburetor to start the damn thing on a first date.
The driver's side headlamp closure needs adjustment. You can clearly see it doesn't quite go all the way shut and latch as you close it. That's why your little round white instrument panel lamp is on. Not only do the headlamp wires get brittle, but the three small bolts tend to loosen. On my GT cars, I used Locktite red and that kept them tight
Oh it did lock all the way. But yes those three bolts were loose. Actually fixed it today. The wire for the white indicator was on the incorrect terminal.
I loved the opel gt. I lived the show car more. I always thought it looked like it was kicked in the tail. A little lifted in the air. A lot of women bought them in the day. But it was still a cool car. I always thought It needed a better suspension and a stronger motor But the bidy was just so cool. I always wanted to cut it down the middle and widen it a little. Still a cool car....to look at
We had a neighbor that had two of these. They just sat in his yard rusting away and he refused to sell them. He even had a sign in his yard telling people to not ask if they were for sale. Eventually he died and his family sold them, but by then they were basically beyond repair.
One of the prettiest cars ever made, with mediocre technical components used. If I had to say at Opel, this would be an ideal candidate for an Opel GT revival. I'd build it as a lightweight model with a modern 1 liter engine and spartan features. The design still looks cool.
I had a 1.9 liter version of the Opel GT in my mis-spent youth. It had the performance limits mentioned here, but when you consider that its competition was the MGB and Porsche 914, it was a pretty good car. The long wheel base made quick handling an unfulfilled wish. Downsides not mentioned here include the super thin sheet metal in the body, easily dented and hard to cleanly repair. Also a pretty crude transmission which made shifting not a fast operation. The worst part of the car was the 1.9 engine. At least the version in the US model was literally a GM truck engine built in Brazil, and said to be also used in tractors there. Revs? What revs? This engine in stock form starts gasping around 3600 rpm and simply runs out of juice around 5,000 rpm. The GT was long on style and appearance, short on performance, but unlike its competition, it had a basic build quality which made it reliable (if laughable by modern standards). Very easy to DIY work on. On a trip to Sun Valley Idaho from Portland Oregon, my GT just stopped running in high mountains about 75 miles from anywhere (and no cell phones then). Under the hood, I discovered that a screw had loosened and ejected itself from the linkage to the Weber carburetor. A twist of paperclip later and I was on my way. My first stop in Sun Valley was the Porsche dealer, as the 914 used the same carburetor. The parts guy like my story so much that he gave me several replacement screws. Being basically lazy, I drove the GT around on the paperclip for more than a year with no issues before I finished the repair. After storing the GT for many years, I sold it to the teenage son of a fellow lawyer doe $400. After he abused it and started picking up tickets, his mother made him sell it.
The US 1900 CIH was not a truck engine and it was made only in Germany. The CIH was first introduced in 1965 in the Opel Rekord B as the new high powered engine option. It’s never been used in any tractors, although the same engine was used in Bedford delivery vans up until the late 1990s in the UK.
I bought a 70's model and restored it for my son, we then drove it from San Diego Ca. to Denver Co. and we were both so unhappy with just how tiny the inside was on a long trip. He later wrecked the car and never wished he had it back LOL!
Opel GTs were actually built in Belgium. I first had a 1974 neon green Opel Manta that lasted forever. Later, I had a 1972 GT that was originally orange, but had it painted fire engine red. Again, never a problem. Sure miss it. There were a few Opel models in NorCal in the 80's and 90s. But not many can claim having TWO Opels.
A high school friend of mine's older brother had a '68 or '69 just after they came out. I always thought it looked like a miniature C3 Corvette. Same basic design of the original old Mako Shark prototype "Vette from the mid-sixties. It was so small we had trouble entering and exiting the car! It was rather innovative at the time. His was a khaki color with a black interior if my memory serves me right. Cool little car but NO comparison whatsoever with the brute power of the Vette(even the small block ones), of course.
I remember joking about the brownish green colour. At the time, I called it "horseshit green" because it looked like the same colour of the shit that came out of a horse when it poops.
It tells you if the headlights aren’t closed all the way. I recently fixed the problem. The PO accidentally put the indicator light wire on the wrong terminal on the headlight microswitch. It’s a very difficult job to pull the headlight mechanism to fix it, so I lived with it for a good while.
One thing I noticed is that the shock of flipping seems to kill the headlights fairly quickly. I think changing to LED headlights, in addition to providing more light at fewer watts, would eliminate that susceptibility to vibration.
"Opel,der zuverlässige"was a company slogan in those days! They where among the most reliable cars made in west-germany in the "60-"70 era! In a time where owning and driving a Mercedes was the ulimate and for most people inaccesable wet dream,Audi,almost broke, was just leaving behind its two stroke/Wankel legacy,VW only produced one single model! And BMW struggling from going bankrupt.Opel had a record of many years of producing a wide range of great cars. Back then Opels had a great reputation when it comes to reliability,long lasting,low cost,easy to maintenance,and lots of interchanceable parts.Plain and simple, as made in W-GERMANY stood for quality never to be matched or equaled by any other product made by any other nation ever again.Their image was a bit dull to produce only simple decent non exiting familycars,but by introducing the GT that all changed dramatically changed and paved the way for a long range of succesfull successors as MantaA/B, KadettCcoupe,Monza ,Calibra and Tigra. It also further opened the Opel market in USA.
Addco front sway bar with an Opel GT source rear bar. The Opel GT source front bar is nicer, but it’s a bit too thick for my liking. The smaller addco bar gives more balanced handling when combined with the thicker Opel GT Source rear bar.
While I found the overall styling attractive to look at, I didn't find its chocolate brownish green colour very attractive. I don't know why they sold Opel under Buick, I would've thought either Chevrolet, Pontiac, or possibly Oldsmobile.
They were part of a reimagining of Buick in my opinion. The ads for the Opels and some other “sporty” new Buick’s were called “cars to light your fire.” GM was trying to make Buick a company for younger people and not just the big boat cars for old people. It didn’t really work but GM tried.
I have to agree. By the early 1970s, much of GMs cars, particularly Buick, have become big boats that more mature adults like my parents, or grandparents might've enjoyed. My favourite cars built by GM were built between 1962 and 1964. Even Buick's cars like the LeSabre, the Wildcat, and Electra 225, while large barges, had still had that youthful optimistic look to them that even someone born a decade later likes in a car.
Hey Kyler, I hadn’t seen this video until just now. Good job. I have a question about your mention of the top speed. Why is it a really bad idea to go over 120? What effect occurs? I’ve done 110 in mine, and probably won’t go faster than that, but I don’t know for sure. Mine has a 2.2L engine and a 5-speed GETRAG that Gil put in for my best friend.
Thanks Terry. I’ve done over 115mph with no issues, but the GT has significant lift above 100mph. On the order of 200 lbs rear and 150lbs front. By 120mph this could be much higher because the more the front lifts up the more air lift it catches. This makes steering very light.
How do you explain the inevitable similarities of the dash and clocks if there was no communication ... also the rear axle layout does not point to a true sportscar .. even GTs were being raced in e.g. Targa Florio . this being said it has always been a favorite of mine from the era :)
The first night that I owned my GT, I foolishly drove it 125 miles per hour. At night with crappy headlights. I found later, the speedometer was correct.
No I probably just forgot what I promised in the video lol. Here s a link to a four part series from another person. ruclips.net/video/DPXTsvyGdpI/видео.html
A bff borrowed his dad's to drive his girlfriend to a high?school formal. I had my dad's 77 Buick LeSabre Landau. Afterwards we all drove to Bluffers Park with some beer for after party sports. We were going to leave, for whatever was next and the Opel wouldn't start. Took the girls home early, picked up some rope and towed the car home behind the Buick. Fuel pump. New one in the garage, so no problem. Fixed it, in our tuxes. Stayed up all night. A good time was had by all, except my girlfriend.
@@ezghthrt7733 I bought it when I was living in Los Angeles CA. It was in great condition for the $1250 I paid for it, and now has been fully restored. The 240Z is just like driving a glove that fit's perfect.
No. There are very few people to successfully pull that off due to the dimensions of the GT. There are a handful of one off fully custom jobs though. The stock suspension can be modified to be really good though.
@@OpelPower ok yea the front is actually not too bad to convert to independent, going to fit a miata rear subframe with irs. Was just curious if there was any kind of go to for less fabrication.
My brother had one that caught on fire. I guess the wires ran down the tunnel and overheated sparked and destroyed the car. It was repairable at the time but the fix cost more than the value of the car. I had distant cousin crash one into a tree and he never made it out.
Absolutely! I saw a 6’7” guy get out of one at a car show one time. He was the tallest guy I’ve ever seen. He said he fits if he takes his shoes off, and puts the seat in the farthest back reclining position. You’ll have to adjust your driving style, but you will likely fit.
Drive a 70 in high school... at 6'2" , it was right at the thighs but miles of head and shoulders room. Hard to describe the inside of a GT. Waist down is a tunnel(but a long one), and waist up is wide open.
My first car was 1971 Opel GT. It had modified head valve work and exhaust for increased airflow, dual downdraft carbs, and head milled to max allowable for increased compression. Custom suspension and really wide tires on aluminum Hurricane wheels helped its handling ability. It was very quick for a normally aspirated I4.
Wonderful example of the breed. Good video as well. So many GT's still rumbling around Texas, it's like an Opel preserve.
I bought a new Opel GT in 1971. It was a great, trouble-free car.
I had one. A 1970 opel gt deluxe with air conditioning. I really loved that car.
I had a '69 GT back in the early 80's and I loved it. a family friend had one long ago and I always wanted one. It wasn't perfect, driving with the windows down managed to get exhaust into the car. I didn't really care, I loved that thing, I got to know the car well, really did like the engine, gearbox was another thing, I remember the gear spacing to be weird. handling was good, at least that's what i thought when I was 22 years old. These cars are all but gone, and I miss mine. Loved the interior, gauges, switches and who couldn't love the headlight lever!
I test drove a new 1970 in the Leesburg Florida area when I was 15, just after getting my learners permit. It had good performance, was fun to drive, but a bit expensive around $3,500 giver or take a few hundred. I know that sounds cheap now, but back then you could buy a new Gremlin under $2,000. The one I drove was red and had the automatic transmission. I wanted the car but couldn't convince mom. I loved the GT because it looked like a Corvette, but sized like most of the sports cars then.
I had two of these, a '71 and a '73, both the same color, sort of a yellow with a bit of lime. I think they called it chartreuse. Loved 'em both !
Thanks for showing us my dad used to have one of these Opel GT in 1971
Thanks for all of your videos. I binge watched many of your videos and I've learned a great deal. I just bought a 69 GT and the knowledge you've passed on is much appreciated.
Thanks for watching them all! I’ll be posting a new one this week probably!
Dad taught all of us kids to drive a stick in our GT. We also had a Manta Rally that was a blast to drive. Believe it or not, we were able to put our family of five in this (sporty) hopped-up lawn mower (yes, three kids crammed onto the little platform behind the seats). 😊❤😊❤😊
That's one sharp GT you have there! My first car was a 1973 Green Opal GT. And naturally with the headlights on everyone called it Kermit. I really liked it but didn't have much to compare it to back then. It never left me stranded, well except for that time I hit the side of a mountain, but even then a little banging with the crowbar and I was good.
Thank you!
Yes the headlights definitely look like frog eyes. They are great little cars. Mine has never left me stranded either, but have had to use some road side ingenuity a few times:)
As a young kid in Dallas Tx I saw many on the road and had a neighbor who drove one. I always liked the way these little cars looked and seeing this 1 in the video makes me realize that I still think they have a pretty cool look 👍. I bet it would be fun to resto-mod one of these tiny Vets 😁
i had a 70 and a 71, 1.9 motors, 4spd. beautiful and fast little autos. ahhh back to 1973 we go. nice video guy.
Great video. I had a 73 for a number of years until it became to rusty to fix. Thanks so much, it brought back many great memories.
nice rundown. i had a late '73 (orange/red taillights) for 8 years. i upgraded to weber carb, removed the egr valve, slightly larger tires (195s(?)) on slightly wider enkei rims, stronger battery, low-flow muffler and 4-tip ansa resinator and kept it maintained so it was very dependable. also added a couple shims behind the oil pump relief spring to bump up the oil pressure a bit. the ride would get really light at speed and it would begin to "float" at around 100. highest speed for me was around 130 - just once. recall the tach number reading was half that of the speedo (e.g., 35(00) at 70 mph) and that position of the needles pointed to same position on face (straight up at 70mph/3500 rpm) in 4th gear. amp, oil and temp needles were in center of gauge faces at operating rpm/temp (for quick reference?). lower compression (7.6:1) engine was otherwise stock and got about 35 mpg. it was pretty tired by time i sold it w/269k. new owner trashed it in less than 90 days.
a few details i can recall:
- very early models had 2-piece front bumper, hand brake mounted on side - instead of top - of the tunnel and no console tray or rear side marker lamp. i think earliest 1.9l had star stamp (high compression) on cylinder head.
- other early models had "s" stamp on cylinder head (9:1(?) compr.) rectangular indicators mounted in a removable panel between the speedo and tach, contoured headlight handle, pop-up ash tray lid, hi/lo beam button on turn signal, stationary rear quarter windows and up/down arrows only on the heater controls.
- 1.1l model had dual carbs and smaller brake cylinders/shoes (same as the kadet) and was embarrassingly underpowered.
- gt/j had blacked out bumpers, flat black "gt/j" stripe, indicator lights instead of temp/oil pressure, fog light switch and clock deletes (saw a few of these when i lived in europe).
- european models had sway bars and clear (instead of amber) turn signal lamps under front bumper. most also did not have rear side marker lamps.
- late '73s got the two-color taillights, "lite" (instead of light symbol) rocker switch in dash, "GT" only (no gm badge) on back panel, and deleted foglight switch under the heater controls, which had air flow arrows and "def."
- all gt models had european parking lamp feature built into the turn signal - lever up or down will power the left or right marker lamp when key switch is off.
- hella fog lamps from rally cadet will fit between bumperettes and license plate under front bumper. rectangular hella 550 lamps would also fit in same space. stock rocker switch for fog lamps only has enough power to engage a relay. the 4-tip ansa exhaust (from an opel parts dealer in tolland, ct) fit very well and sounded great. many parts were interchangable with other models (e.g., kadet, 1900, manta). i searched many wrecking yards for a limited slip diff but never found one.
agree with your points regarding soft control arms, low hp, soft suspension (light inside rear wheel) and "5-alarm dead short" headlight wiring (design has them wired direct - no fuses). would also add that the rear defogs were junk and that 3rd gear synchro, torque tube bearing/rubber snubber, "tinker toy" headlight mechanism, charging relay and key switch were weak points.
I had a friend with one of these, and myself drove a 74 Manta Rallye Sport while I was in high school. I laughed out loud when you talked about Miatas. Thank you for this video. Rock on with that Opel GT, it's sweet. >.> Love the design on the GT, would rather drive a Manta, though.
Great commentary. The one other thing to mention is the surprising amount of driver room. I am 6'4" and LOVE climbing out of mine in public..."How the Hell do you fit in there?" is such a common question.
Thank you! Yes the footwell goes really really deep and the seats lay back a lot.
If seen someone 6’-7” climb out of one just fine once!
Truth be told, I do have to dodge the steering wheel a bit with my clutch leg knee when shifting, but getting out with the roofline at my belly button is worth it. Peace, fellow Opeler...Ken2
Its a mini Corvette !!!! thanks for showing that very sweet little Hot Rod dude !
Thank you! I’ll be showing a lot more of it on my channel in the future:)
@@OpelPower really thats great i love that little car !!!
You mean the Corvette is XL GT.
A friend of my dads had one when I was a kid. I used to love sitting in it and pulling the headlight lever open and closed. If they didn't have major rust problems I'd buy one and restore it. Their still nice looking little cars !
Dave Lewis rust is an issue on many of them. There are tons of rust free examples out there though. The value for rust free ones has been skyrocketing the last 2 years though
Thank-you for posting!!
Nice car. Ive always liked them
When I was a kid back in the 70's I loved these cars, I thought they were coolest things ever.
They are in my opinion:)
Back in 1969, I went to the New York Auto Show to see this car. It was gold, 1.9 liter engine and it was hard to get close to the car to get a close look. Lichtenburg Robbins Buick, in Queens, owned this one, and it was for the show only. It was the first one in the country. The salesman walked over to me, as I was staring at it for about two hours, walking around it over and over. He asked if I wanted to sit in it, and I smiled, wryly, and shook my head yes. I sat in it, and he closed the door. Yup! I wanted this car! We talked for awhile, and he said that I would be able to have it after the show and it was the only model, so they needed it in the showroom for a month .. at least. If I remember, it was $2100.00. We talked and finally agreed that I could have it right after the show, and it was back at the dealership. I got the call that it was back in the dealership, so I went with my friend Mike to pick it up. I lived in Brooklyn. When i got there they said that I had to wait a month. I took out cash .. $3400.00, I believe, they prepped it and I drove it home right then and there. Money talks. That car moved. It was a low flying jet. Fishtailed in turns at speed, so I learned to speed shift. I used to go out at daybreak, and get on the Belt Parkway .. out to Long Island .. past Kennedy Airport. Whenever I took that car out, crowds gathered around. Red lights, stop signs, It was hard to go anywhere. Went into Manhattan, and nobody knew what it was. Those were the days ... yes, those were the days.
Had a '70 model in the mid '70's. Still miss it. A blast to drive and economical, except for carburetor and water pump problems.
My step dad had an Opel GT at the same time I started driving. The Opel was the car they wanted me driving and that was cool with me. It was gutless, but drove great and everyone liked it's looks.
Just found this review. Great job and very informative Kyler!
Buying one of these as a project soon, mother had one as her first car, too.
The first couple years of Chevrolet Vega had the same 4-speed transmission, and the Pontiac T1000 5-speed will fit perfectly with only modification to the upper two bell housing holes and the drive shaft length. The input shaft, splines and pilot bearing are the same size. The 5-speed shifter comes out about 4 inches further back and you need to cut the parcel tray/console to make it look nice. I had a red 1969 GT with a 1975 Manta fuel injection and that 5-speed. I loved how nice it rode down the highway. It didn't have A/C, though and that would make it perfect. BTW, it was an early 1969 with rectangular indicator lamps in the center and the horn button was a little button on the end of the turn signal stalk.
Edit for clarification: The 5-speed aluminum bell housing upper 2 bolt holes needed to be filed/elongated upward, as they were lower than the holes in the block. Otherwise, all the other bolts and the dowel pins lined up perfectly. Even the clutch release lever arm and release bearing are the same.
Erhart Schnell designed the Opel Corsa and the Opel Calibra too.
I run a 2001 3 cylinder Corsa 60hp 1litre. Quirky, nippy and economic.
Erhart said the Calibra design was his favourite. He died this year (2020). The headlight operation of the Gt is unique.
Such a gorgeous little car.
Thank you!
Thanks, I really enjoyed it. I never owned a GT, but I had 3 Opels with the 1.9 CIH engine, so I'm a big fan. I had a 70 Kabett B Rallye w/1.9 S engine, which might be the same engine as in your GT, although the valve cover was different. I also had a 74 Manta A and a 75 1900 sedan (Ascona A). That one had a 19E engine (fuel injected). If you have ever had problems with starting due to the distributor getting wet in rainy weather, I remember that the Manta and 1900 had a plastic shield that fit over the distributor cap & wires. I don't know if it is still available, but if it is, it might be useful to you if you can find one.
Thank you!!!
Yes I have one of those covers on my GT. They are actually pretty hard to come across nowadays
I have the technical service bulletin Opel issued to Buick dealer addressing the rainy start issue:)
@Tom Lewis,yes the KadettB 1.9S cih is the exact same engine as used in GT's,as for the aluminium headcover with sloping front only on GT's for reasons of limited space under the hood. As far as i recall also only GT's had an Aluminium carterpan.The headcover was a much sought after part in the whole Opel Custom scene in the "80-"90,for it fittet the most common used 1.9-2.4 engines at that time.
I had a 1970 1.9 litre.I loved that car and the memories.I was a Senior in High School at the time.There is a great hiding place under the ashtray (it pops out).Will hold a few buds underneath.Also if you have one of these and it starts blowing massive amounts of blue smoke out the exhaust.It will stop after a minute or so.Do not panic it is only brake fluid being dumped into the exhaust.This is due to a faulty one eay valve on the brake master cylinder.They arenot that expensive and after replacing the valve,no more smoke problems
The girst time ithappened to me,I thought the worst.Also as mentioned here I think.I replaced the carb with a 4 barrel weber carb.The tires would spin out in third and fourth gears.
I really enjoyed your video. I was always curious about this beauty! Thank You Thank You !
Thank you! This video as doubled in views overnight! May I ask how you got to the video?
Was a suggestion on another video or has it been posted on the internet somewhere?
@@OpelPower Lol I got to it because I just bought a ford focus svt 04 and they guy had an opel gt sitting in his garage that was so perfect but it has not been run in 10+ years. He said its got under 5k miles on it and I was super curious as to what that sexy little rare car that was sitting there is.
Wow that’s crazy! There aren’t many with that few miles around!
I need to get my 1972 GT into the body shop.
So much fun. Mach shnell.
Owned a 69 1.9 litre blue with two white stripes running in the middle of the bonnet to the rear, until a white van man skidded and rammed his Ford Transit into the back of my car and written it off in 1976. I still miss it even today.
Aww man! I’m sorry! Time to find you a new one!
@@OpelPower Thank you, I ought to as you said. Drive safely and enjoy that beautiful red GT. God bless you, regards from the UK
Back in about 1969, my late father almost bought an Opel GT, I wish that he DID! Dave...
Great video! Awesome car! Hope you enjoy many fun years with it! Cheers!
Thank you!
My Uncle Owned a Buick/Pontiac Dealership so my Old Man had more than a few Opel's. I had a Opel GT with the 1100 - it was nothing but trouble - Vacuum Leaks, Vapor Lock, and Ignition Problems Plagued that Cool Little Car. I had a '74 Manta Rallye 1900 which was much better IMO...I Will Always Remember the Quirky things like the Squishy Foot Pedal Thing for the Window Washers....
Thanks a lot for this magnificant video! Really well documented, only little flaw in your comment is that only US GT's came without anti roll-(sway)bars,not true,also all EU GT's upto "70 came without, though it was an option to have them installed.
Thank you! And thanks for the correction. So I guess they added the sway bars for 1971. Did the Euro GTs ever have a factory front bar, or was it only an option?
@@OpelPower, As far as i can remember reading documentation,after the modellyear '69 all GT's were fitted with factory installed Anti roll/Sway bars,both front and rear,before that year this was only an option. So all post '69 GT's should have come with sway bars.
The main differences in EU and US versions were; the color of the round indicators glass in lower front,orange red in US,/Clear glass used as fog light in EU.
The glass of the main headlight differs,H4 for EU
The red rectangular side markers in rear sides,/not fitted at all in EU cars.
The optional color sceme of interior upholstery differs,for instance the color"Buckskin" was not available in EU.
I'm not sure about the AC system,but as far as my memory goes i think this was only US option aswell. someone correct me if i'm wrong please.
Also very interesting is the GT-aero project
My first car was a 71 gt gutless wonder with way too many miles! Thanks dad! I still can’t smell starter fluid without traumatic flashbacks of spraying it in my carburetor to start the damn thing on a first date.
Oh no! The engines are good, but the carburetors that came on them were garbage.
The driver's side headlamp closure needs adjustment. You can clearly see it doesn't quite go all the way shut and latch as you close it. That's why your little round white instrument panel lamp is on. Not only do the headlamp wires get brittle, but the three small bolts tend to loosen. On my GT cars, I used Locktite red and that kept them tight
Oh it did lock all the way. But yes those three bolts were loose. Actually fixed it today. The wire for the white indicator was on the incorrect terminal.
back in my day some tuner stuck a 283 chevy small block in one, they came with a chevy 3 or 4 speed manual, easy to work on too.
I loved the opel gt. I lived the show car more.
I always thought it looked like it was kicked in the tail. A little lifted in the air.
A lot of women bought them in the day. But it was still a cool car.
I always thought It needed a better suspension and a stronger motor
But the bidy was just so cool.
I always wanted to cut it down the middle and widen it a little.
Still a cool car....to look at
We had a neighbor that had two of these. They just sat in his yard rusting away and he refused to sell them. He even had a sign in his yard telling people to not ask if they were for sale. Eventually he died and his family sold them, but by then they were basically beyond repair.
Great Job on the video ! I have always loved the GT.
My first car was a '69 GT. I still have it in my garage.
Well done. Nice job. Thank you. Eddie B.
One of the prettiest cars ever made, with mediocre technical components used.
If I had to say at Opel, this would be an ideal candidate for an Opel GT revival. I'd build it as a lightweight model with a modern 1 liter engine and spartan features. The design still looks cool.
beautiful car!
10:20 Where is the link for the headlights?
I had a 1.9 liter version of the Opel GT in my mis-spent youth. It had the performance limits mentioned here, but when you consider that its competition was the MGB and Porsche 914, it was a pretty good car. The long wheel base made quick handling an unfulfilled wish. Downsides not mentioned here include the super thin sheet metal in the body, easily dented and hard to cleanly repair. Also a pretty crude transmission which made shifting not a fast operation. The worst part of the car was the 1.9 engine. At least the version in the US model was literally a GM truck engine built in Brazil, and said to be also used in tractors there. Revs? What revs? This engine in stock form starts gasping around 3600 rpm and simply runs out of juice around 5,000 rpm. The GT was long on style and appearance, short on performance, but unlike its competition, it had a basic build quality which made it reliable (if laughable by modern standards). Very easy to DIY work on. On a trip to Sun Valley Idaho from Portland Oregon, my GT just stopped running in high mountains about 75 miles from anywhere (and no cell phones then). Under the hood, I discovered that a screw had loosened and ejected itself from the linkage to the Weber carburetor. A twist of paperclip later and I was on my way. My first stop in Sun Valley was the Porsche dealer, as the 914 used the same carburetor. The parts guy like my story so much that he gave me several replacement screws. Being basically lazy, I drove the GT around on the paperclip for more than a year with no issues before I finished the repair. After storing the GT for many years, I sold it to the teenage son of a fellow lawyer doe $400. After he abused it and started picking up tickets, his mother made him sell it.
The US 1900 CIH was not a truck engine and it was made only in Germany. The CIH was first introduced in 1965 in the Opel Rekord B as the new high powered engine option. It’s never been used in any tractors, although the same engine was used in Bedford delivery vans up until the late 1990s in the UK.
I bought a 70's model and restored it for my son, we then drove it from San Diego Ca. to Denver Co. and we were both so unhappy with just how tiny the inside was on a long trip. He later wrecked the car and never wished he had it back LOL!
Fastback car 💛
Nice video, ciao! 🇮🇹
I love the center console beautiful car
Opel GTs were actually built in Belgium. I first had a 1974 neon green Opel Manta that lasted forever. Later, I had a 1972 GT that was originally orange, but had it painted fire engine red. Again, never a problem. Sure miss it. There were a few Opel models in NorCal in the 80's and 90s. But not many can claim having TWO Opels.
IIRC, Mantas and Asconas were made in Belgium. The GT's unibody was built in France and final assembly was done in Bochum, Germany.
Done well. Thanks for the info.
A high school friend of mine's older brother had a '68 or '69 just after they came out. I always thought it looked like a miniature C3 Corvette. Same basic design of the original old Mako Shark prototype "Vette from the mid-sixties. It was so small we had trouble entering and exiting the car! It was rather innovative at the time. His was a khaki color with a black interior if my memory serves me right. Cool little car but NO comparison whatsoever with the brute power of the Vette(even the small block ones), of course.
My uncle has a couple Opel GT's. Always thought they were neat little rippers
Miss having my black 71 GT with my 1st wife in college,,but sadly it's gone and she passed great memories though
Favorite car.
Same.
Schöne Geschichte über den GT, ich fahre den fast 40 Jahre lang.
I remember joking about the brownish green colour. At the time, I called it "horseshit green" because it looked like the same colour of the shit that came out of a horse when it poops.
Nice, but what is that (warning) light on the dash on all the time about ?
It tells you if the headlights aren’t closed all the way. I recently fixed the problem. The PO accidentally put the indicator light wire on the wrong terminal on the headlight microswitch. It’s a very difficult job to pull the headlight mechanism to fix it, so I lived with it for a good while.
...and avoiding radial tires will greatly improve handling and stability.
Might want to mention that 68-70 1.9’s had solid lifters and 71-73 had hydraulic. Be sure you have the right service manual for valve lash adjustment.
My uncle had two gts one when I was a teenager great cas to drive in the north Georgia mnts
nice review
Can i still buy the black plastic window covers ?
God, I miss my GT's. Had 2 '72 GT's Both orange.
Time for a new one:) I have an orange 72 as well!
One thing I noticed is that the shock of flipping seems to kill the headlights fairly quickly. I think changing to LED headlights, in addition to providing more light at fewer watts, would eliminate that susceptibility to vibration.
Wow... unibody frame? What do you do about dents?
My 1970 managed to shear off all the bolts fastening the headlights. I had to replace them with grade eight bolts.
I had a neighbour when I was a boy who had an Opel GT like this. It was a chocolate brownish green colour.
"Opel,der zuverlässige"was a company slogan in those days! They where among the most reliable cars made in west-germany in the "60-"70 era! In a time where owning and driving a Mercedes was the ulimate and for most people inaccesable wet dream,Audi,almost broke, was just leaving behind its two stroke/Wankel legacy,VW only produced one single model! And BMW struggling from going bankrupt.Opel had a record of many years of producing a wide range of great cars. Back then Opels had a great reputation when it comes to reliability,long lasting,low cost,easy to maintenance,and lots of interchanceable parts.Plain and simple, as made in W-GERMANY stood for quality never to be matched or equaled by any other product made by any other nation ever again.Their image was a bit dull to produce only simple decent non exiting familycars,but by introducing the GT that all changed dramatically changed and paved the way for a long range of succesfull successors as MantaA/B, KadettCcoupe,Monza ,Calibra and Tigra. It also further opened the Opel market in USA.
I have a 1970. I desire better road holding. Which F&R sway bars do you recommend?
Addco front sway bar with an Opel GT source rear bar.
The Opel GT source front bar is nicer, but it’s a bit too thick for my liking. The smaller addco bar gives more balanced handling when combined with the thicker Opel GT Source rear bar.
Really nice video and car !!!
saw one today and fell in love. baby c3
Nice rock off the camera
While I found the overall styling attractive to look at, I didn't find its chocolate brownish green colour very attractive. I don't know why they sold Opel under Buick, I would've thought either Chevrolet, Pontiac, or possibly Oldsmobile.
They were part of a reimagining of Buick in my opinion. The ads for the Opels and some other “sporty” new Buick’s were called “cars to light your fire.” GM was trying to make Buick a company for younger people and not just the big boat cars for old people. It didn’t really work but GM tried.
I have to agree. By the early 1970s, much of GMs cars, particularly Buick, have become big boats that more mature adults like my parents, or grandparents might've enjoyed. My favourite cars built by GM were built between 1962 and 1964. Even Buick's cars like the LeSabre, the Wildcat, and Electra 225, while large barges, had still had that youthful optimistic look to them that even someone born a decade later likes in a car.
@@OpelPower Hey ! My Dad had a "Big boat" car and I was the main driver. It was a 1965 WILDCAT ! It was way better than my stupid, '73 Corvette.
Fair enough! Buick did have some pretty cool cars from the mid-60s to 70s. I would like to drive one, but you don’t see them around too often!
THANK YOU FOR THE ADVICE!!! :)
I have 69' opel gt , good to hear this xD
Let me know if you need any help with the GT:)
Hey Kyler, I hadn’t seen this video until just now. Good job. I have a question about your mention of the top speed. Why is it a really bad idea to go over 120? What effect occurs? I’ve done 110 in mine, and probably won’t go faster than that, but I don’t know for sure. Mine has a 2.2L engine and a 5-speed GETRAG that Gil put in for my best friend.
Thanks Terry. I’ve done over 115mph with no issues, but the GT has significant lift above 100mph. On the order of 200 lbs rear and 150lbs front. By 120mph this could be much higher because the more the front lifts up the more air lift it catches. This makes steering very light.
What a great candidate for a 13B, 4AG, or B16 swap
How do you explain the inevitable similarities of the dash and clocks if there was no communication ... also the rear axle layout does not point to a true sportscar .. even GTs were being raced in e.g. Targa Florio . this being said it has always been a favorite of mine from the era :)
Some guy just bought 2 of these which were parked up for 30 years and paid 200usd for both!.
My mom has one with the automatic. She's had it, oh, I guess about 35 years now. Doesn't drive it much.
any idea what the rear axle ratio was?
I believe it is 3.44:1
@@OpelPower thanks, im stuggling with gear ratios on a uk vauxhall that has same engine and gearbox but revs like mad .
The first night that I owned my GT, I foolishly drove it 125 miles per hour. At night with crappy headlights. I found later, the speedometer was correct.
Did I miss something? He provides a lot of good info but I thought he was going to provide a link to the headlight design.
No I probably just forgot what I promised in the video lol.
Here s a link to a four part series from another person. ruclips.net/video/DPXTsvyGdpI/видео.html
NP, thx@@OpelPower
I had a 71 model.
A bff borrowed his dad's to drive his girlfriend to a high?school formal. I had my dad's 77 Buick LeSabre Landau. Afterwards we all drove to Bluffers Park with some beer for after party sports. We were going to leave, for whatever was next and the Opel wouldn't start. Took the girls home early, picked up some rope and towed the car home behind the Buick. Fuel pump. New one in the garage, so no problem. Fixed it, in our tuxes. Stayed up all night. A good time was had by all, except my girlfriend.
I love it so much because it looks like a baby corvette stingray
There was no air flow with the windows down.
Then your rear roof vents weren’t functioning properly. All 3 of my GTs have excellent air flow with the floor vents open and all windows closed.
Awesome video and detailed explanation :-)
Thank You!
Cool yes, but I still love my Datsun 240Z. I bet they are pretty close in size.
240Z are nice cars! You guys are 2” longer, 2” wider, and 2” taller. No joke lol.
How much did you pay for it ( I guess it must have been substantially more expensive than the GT).?
@@ezghthrt7733 I bought it when I was living in Los Angeles CA. It was in great condition for the $1250 I paid for it, and now has been fully restored. The 240Z is just like driving a glove that fit's perfect.
Any common suspension swaps?
No. There are very few people to successfully pull that off due to the dimensions of the GT.
There are a handful of one off fully custom jobs though.
The stock suspension can be modified to be really good though.
@@OpelPower ok yea the front is actually not too bad to convert to independent, going to fit a miata rear subframe with irs. Was just curious if there was any kind of go to for less fabrication.
Chad Mowery not really. I do know someone has successfully done a rx7 IRS. If you search the Opel gt forum you might find it.
My brother had one that caught on fire. I guess the wires ran down the tunnel and overheated sparked and destroyed the car. It was repairable at the time but the fix cost more than the value of the car. I had distant cousin crash one into a tree and he never made it out.
I’m very sorry to hear that!
I have 3 1969 opel gts for sale all painted red with some extra parts in danielsville ga
would a 6"3 foot person fit?
Absolutely! I saw a 6’7” guy get out of one at a car show one time. He was the tallest guy I’ve ever seen. He said he fits if he takes his shoes off, and puts the seat in the farthest back reclining position. You’ll have to adjust your driving style, but you will likely fit.
Drive a 70 in high school... at 6'2" , it was right at the thighs but miles of head and shoulders room. Hard to describe the inside of a GT. Waist down is a tunnel(but a long one), and waist up is wide open.