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1971 Opel GT

The Opel GT has always been a car that intrigued me. There are times that I look at it and think “Yeah, that car is awesome!” and then I see another and think “Man, that car is just not right!”. I’m not sure why I have such a polar reaction to this model, but I seem to every time. There are some that to me just look fantastic, and others that look like kit cars gone wrong. Perhaps that is in part due to the number of these that I’ve seen in good condition – I’m sure I can count it on one hand. Many, many more I’ve seen rotting in driveways (not unlike some of the Corvettes they were modeled after…), half covered in tarps and awaiting – nee, begging for some attention. Today’s example has obviously gotten a lot of that attention, and is one of the few that makes me smile:

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Year: 1971
Model: GT
Engine: 1.9 liter inline-4
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: 70,000 mi
Price: $11,500 Buy It Now

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1971 Opel GT on eBay

Opel GT completely restored. Drives very nice. Engine rebuilt and engine compartment restored. Nice interior, tires, wheels, stereo, glass, and paint. You will not be disappointed with this vehicle. I’ve never seen a Opel GT this clean. Buyer responsible for shipping.

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The absolute best way to restore a car is to buy a car that someone else has restored. There is no cheaper way to do it, with one caveat – you hope they did it right. Today’s Opel GT sure looks great, but the lack of details on the restoration, the knock-off alloys, questionable dash padding and stripes make me wonder a bit how thorough this restoration was. These are pretty simple cars that surprisingly you can still get parts for, so I’m not sure that would turn me off all that much. While the performance of this car won’t shock anyone with only around 80 horsepower, they’re light enough to have fun with, and this one looks to have upgrades to the ignition and cooling. As good as this looks, it’s sure to draw a crowd at the next show it attends. Pricing on the best Opel GTs is in the mid teens according to Hagerty, with condition 2 cars around the asking price of today’s example. If you’re looking for a unique occasional car that can be shown and enjoyed on a budget, this might just be the perfect car!

-Carter

5 Comments

  1. KevinR
    KevinR September 6, 2013

    Aside from the questionable (to me at least) cosmetic choices, I saw one line in the brief ad copy that gave me cause for concern: “I’ve never seen a Opel GT this clean.” It sounds to me like the seller is not the person who did the restoration work so it may be nearly impossible to get accurate details regarding what was done.

  2. Carter
    Carter September 6, 2013

    You could be right, Kevin. Of course, I say all the time “I’ve never seen an Audi GT as cool as mine”, so it may just be the phrasing the seller used. He may indeed have never seen another, though they would probably mean he hasn’t gone to the same shows that I have – though unusual, it’s certainly not unheard of to see a clean one pop up at a show. I agree completely on the cosmetic choices too, but overall I think the car presents pretty well even if it’s not the way I would have done it.

  3. Rick W
    Rick W September 6, 2013

    Carter, you might be surprised to learn that I had a ’69 Opel GT for a year or so at the end of high school. Fun little car to drive with 4-sp manual and go-kart steering. This was the car that gave me an appreciation for German cars. Mine was white with a red interior. I replaced it with a slant-6 Dodge van to head off to college with. Four years later though I bought myself another little German two-door, a ’78 VW Scirocco.

  4. Carter J
    Carter J September 7, 2013

    Rick, I think I remember you telling me that at one point – you certainly have had an interesting group of cars in your history!

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