The first generation Omega was a mid-sized luxury car offered in Europe by Opel, the German subsidiary of GM, between 1986 and 1993. Sold in Britain under the Vauxhall marque and rebadged as the Carlton, my friend’s dad had a mid spec model when I was growing up. I always thought of it as a poor-man’s BMW 5-series. And I don’t mean that in a bad way: it was actually a pretty admirable car, offering luxury features to the masses like ABS, an on-board computer and a dazzling (at the time) LCD instrument display. I suspect most people by now have forgotten all about them. But there is one very special edition of the Omega/Carlton that enthusiasts of my age could never forget, the one breathed on by Lotus. The British sports car manufacturer took the hottest version of the car, the 3000 GSi, enlarged the 3.0 liter 24v motor to 3.6 liters, added two Garratt T25 turbo chargers, a six speed manual gearbox taken from a Corvette and an aggressive bodykit. The result was a menacing and breathtakingly quick uber sedan, with 377 hp on tap and a top speed of 177 MPH.
Tag: Opel
Generally speaking, engine swaps are usually an improvement over the stock running gear even when they’re home brews. And if you’re really clever with your swap, you can end up making quite the sleeper; V8 powered Volvo wagons come to mind. But some people go over the top, and throw an absolutely crazy motor into a car which was never designed to have anywhere near the power levels capable of the new mill. Such is not the case here. That’s because the builder of this Opel GT designed that the popular adage “There’s no replacement for displacement” meant putting a V8 into the nose of the diminutive GM product. And by “a”, I actually mean two V8s. In an attempt to dispel the notorious “Mini-Corvette” moniker, this GT tops out at 11.4 liters of American muscle with just a bit of Opel sprinkled into the mix. Though far from our usual flavor, let’s take a look at this crazy creation:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 Opel GT on eBay
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It’s pretty rare that a car becomes the subject of a feature film, let alone the title, even if said film is a bit of a parody. Enter the Opel Manta. By the time the 1980s were coming to a close, so was the production cycle on this classic, rear drive coupe. This was a bit of a cult car amongst West German youth of the day, bucking the trend to go more towards the hot hatchback layout that was popular with boy racers. This 1988 Manta B GSi for sale in The Netherlands represents the last of the line for an eighties icon. With only 97 kilometers on the odometer (60 miles), this has to be one of the best preserved late model Mantas left in existence.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Opel Manta B GSi on Mobile.de
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It’s not very often that we post supposed barn finds, but once in a while one turns up that is pretty interesting. Barn finds are all the rage right now – original, preserved vehicles as seen in shows like Chasing Classic Cars can often draw more money than perfectly restored examples even if they’re wrecks. Fairly recently, a 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB California Spyder emerged from a barn in France, covered in books and looking quite forlorn. The price it sold for was unimaginable to most mortals; $18,500,000 – the most paid for any 250 GT series Ferrari, despite the seeming poor condition. People are willing to pay for a story, it would seem, and the French Ferrari was a tome of history. But what if the barn find is something less exotic…say, an Opel? And not even a particularly desirable Opel (yes, that’s really a thing…)?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 Opel Kadett on eBay
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I know what you’re saying. “Carter, that Opel from last week was boring”. Okay, how about two Opel Rekord C models in a week, then? That’s got to be worth something? As with the last example, this blandish late 1960s-early 1970s GM/Opel coupe has been presented in all the brown color spectrum – but in this case, it’s an all-gold affair, as the matching tan cloth interior provides continuity to the gold exterior. But with some shiny details and ridiculously low mileage, isn’t it worth a look?