Baby Corvette Is Actually The FATHER: Opel Kept The Corvette's Secret | Barn Find Hunter - Ep. 123

[@frankresciniti2762]

In 1973 I bought a brand new OpelGt and raced it in SCCA showroom stock class that year. I was 19. I won 11 out of 13 races that year. Anyone who says the were not fast just didn’t know how to drive it. Spent a lot of time cornering on two wheels! All I did to the car was put a roll hope in it! What a great car. Could and did beat Triumph GT6 & Spitfire’s, Porsche 914’s, MGB’s and of course other Opel Gt’s. What a great car! I need to get in touch with that guy and get another one!

[@tngdwn8350]

My father had a disassembled one from a scrapyard lying around for a long time and restored it a couple of years ago. Very nice and interesting car and he had fun restoring it. He still owns it and drives it in the summer months.

[@bigchevs1]

I just pulled 2 1974 opel manta's from a farmer's field near my farm in NC. My intension is to restore them. Both are unique and in good shape!

[@p.d.nickthielen6600]

They have a very good balance and handle really well for a mid 70s car

[@winteroutside7014]

@@greatestevar because ted nugent had intensities in ten cities

[@bigchevs1]

@@greatestevar Its a short car so I am trying to stretch it out...

[@GoinManta]

PM me if you need help or parts.. I have a few parts left.

[@l3v4rt]

best of luck with restoration man! Hope my content help you with manta bodywork :)

[@campwalosi4256]

To answer your question "who bought the Opel GT new?" That would be me. My dad was having his Buick serviced, saw a picture of one and was put on a waiting list. It came...blue, 1.1, with a four speed. I learned how to shift gears on the way home. I was a happy 17 year old until the 240Z came soon after. Twice the car for the same money. I rest my case...

[@winteroutside7014]

meh i waited for the Porsche version, the 944 to come out

[@astonike8383]

@@winteroutside7014 liar

[@rickfromthecape3135]

@@astonike8383 Sometimes I hate the internet....

[@hasseslaggmek3573]

I for one totally get that (see my other comment) even though i only had a lesser 4-cylinder version of the L-series engine in my Datsun. Definitely on another level than the Opel in many ways, the Datsun/Nissan OHC engine had its roots in Mercedes´s first mass production SOHC engine (i think that debuted in 1958) which was licensed first to the Gloria motor company and when Nissan bought them they kept the engine and started their own development which proved to be a very easy-reving machine, but that´s well known to anyone that has been toying with them 🙂. The Opel not really that easily, but it can be done. Btw, i recall back in the 80s someone using forged Mahle pistons made for the Opel engine to extend the bore of the Datsun/Nissan engine and make them tougher (wish i´d known that tip the time i had a piston crack...) but can´t say which ones, i think there was some minor machining needed to make them fit the connecting rods.

[@N1RKW]

Back in the early 80s I had a school teacher that drove an Opel GT. She knew I was into cars, so one day she took me outside and allowed me to look it over top to bottom. I've always admired them since then, though I have seldom seen any others around. Very cool little cars.

[@simbanugz2906]

awesome im 42 never seen one in person. Cool teacher

[@fastinradfordable]

Allowed to look top to bottom huh Did she ever get arrested?

[@brentfellers9632]

Loved em as a kid...old man now

[@carltonbalfe]

I had a teacher in Commerce City, Colorado that had one in 1995 she bought new in 1970 still like new. I had a 73 was my 1st car.

[@alelectric2767]

@@fastinradfordable LOL! Was thinking the same thing.

[@schwibbs1286]

So cool to see Opels featured more and more. I love my 74 Opel Manta Rallye!

[@davidshields220]

I had the lime green with black hood that I occasionally got some grief over. It ran great until it died at 80K. I wish I could find another. Oh, the Opel color schemes seem to be returning over the last few years.

[@incognitotorpedo42]

I had a 73 Manta Rallye. Great car. I put 175,000 miles on it. Had it until 1990.

[@Ray56z]

@@incognitotorpedo42 I had the '73 Manta Rally GT and the '73 GT at the same time in the mid '70s. Drive trains were identical except the Manta had split headers. Manta ran better, rode better, handled better. If I still had it today I wouldn't be displeased in the slightest.

[@troynov1965]

My best friend back in the 80s had a 73 Opel Manta. We even repainted it ( I worked at the local auto body shop) . Its was s good little car and I always like the style of it. We cruised around all over the place in that Manta.

[@benncojr]

It is good to see that the Opel GT is still loved. I had and restored 2 when I was younger. They were a great car and the 1.9 eng was very reliable. The issue with the car was they always had some type of trouble with the electrical and that was because they were getting older and the wires were wearing out and shorting out.

[@keithbogus989]

I felt your pain, with mine after 2,000 miles the condenser would burn out, I always carried two spares with me and could change it out in a matter of minutes. But oh my what a rust bucket.

[@sonofagun1037]

tell me about it, I had one and with every electrical fix I did another one showed up. The car had a battery drain, I fixed that, the car stopped turning off, I fixed that, the car stopped charging the battery, I fixed that, and then the blinker stopped working. I do miss my Opel though. It may have been a basket case but man it was the neatest basket out there.

[@flipnotrab]

Age had nothing to do with their electric. All kinds of terrible craftsmanship in the harness. But it made them cheap to snag from people tired of throwing money in them. We turned over 5 of them in the early 90’s. Water pumps too.

[@davidashton2361]

I bought a new one from a dealership in Germany. I had it for 6 years and the only thing that went wrong with it was the battery went flat after about 4 years and I had to buy a new one. I though that was a bit strange after only 4 years and then 6 years later the clutch went. Not completely since I could still get it to move but there was a lot of slip. Not long after that I sold it cheap, slipping clutch and all. Wish I hadn't but I didn't have the money to get it fixed at the time For all I know it may have only needed a bit of adjustment.

[@YTjndallas]

I had a 1972 Opel GT from about 1986-1992. It was bright Orange that leaned to the red side just a bit.

[@FredsRandomFinds]

The "Saloon" was sold in the UK as the Ascona Iirc? Also sold by Vauxhall as the Cavalier?

[@Jangocat]

I remember seeing those on the road when I was a kid. I always liked the style of those cars, it was a beautiful body style in it's day. Nothing looked that futuristic in that era.

[@williamholcombe31]

56 years old I have only seen one opel GT in person when it was 15 years in VA Beach Va. in one of my neighbors garage. Awesome little car . his was 100 all original and very low miles. Thanks

[@nw8000]

I am from England and most of these cars were around in my childhood, I am very surprised there is a following for these gems in the good old US of A thank you Guys

[@donquixote3927]

Often thought I’d like to import a V6 Aussie Marina. I had no idea Morris Minors were ever raced in America.

[@feedingravens]

Well, over there some cars are totally exotic, would be rarer than a Ferrari. My Opel (your Vauxhall) Calibra was afaik never sold in the US. And it still looks good, even young turks are looking here in Germany.

[@ifga16]

When I was a senior in high school, there was a Buick dealer a few blocks from the school. Every time I had free time, I'd walk down and sit in the 1970 in the bright yellow GT in the showroom. This was my bucket wish car. It still is but I did get a 1973 Manta Rally. It lasted twelve years and 144K miles before I got new car fever after a cylinder started losing compression. I still miss the thing. My Manta was peppy and handled very well. Taking me from St Louis to Columbia MO during college and from Pensacola, Florida to Bremerton, WA. Plus many other voyages during my Navy career.

[@hmsjr0154]

My dad use to service the opel’s back in the late 60’ to early 80’s when he was a service tech at a Buick dealership in Maryland. When the dealership was sold. All the old opel spares was given to my dad. We spent a long weekend cleaning out the opel parts room. Which at the time had 2 of the opel racing engines still in the crates with an FOB from Germany stamped all over it. If we only kept those parts to this day!

[@evanswinford7165]

I had an Austin Marina 4 door, a '73. People say they suck but once I got all the long ignored problems sorted out it was a decent driver. One thing I never could fix was the non functioning fan, a bit of a problem when I lived in South Lake Tahoe. Good to see a few people preserving this rare car. When I owned mine I never saw another in traffic, a few parked but none on the road.

[@sammolloy1]

The Bugeye and MK II Sprites had as you say half springs. Some called them “quarter eliptics”. They were stiffer than the later, full leaf spring suspension. A problem had developed when the mounts rusted and the rear axle went wonky.

[@williamegler8771]

I LOVE Opel's! My father and grandfather were both engineers at Opel for their entire careers. My mother's family owns several dealerships. I own a model of each year from 1958 to 1975. My more modern vehicles have been rebadged Opel's including a Cadillac Catera and a couple of Saturn Astras. My daily drivers are a Buick Casada and a TourX

[@feedingravens]

My cars: Opel Ascona B (shares many small parts with the Opel GT) (my first car with 18, my parents wanted to avoid I buy a motorcycle) Audi 100 GL 5E (used up my father's car til the valve seals gave way) Opel Vectra hatchback Opel Astra H Opel Calibra from 1994 (the era of the Vectra), a V6 DOHC 24V with 170 hp. My after-midlife-crisis car. So I somehow unintentionally became a real Opel maniac.

[@davidsobel3303]

I was always intrigued with these and the Saab Sonnet, both of which you never see on the road anymore..

[@RusteeUte]

Fun fact for you Tom. Here in Australia, the Marina was badged as a Morris. Not exactly loved and rare to see one even at an All British Day car show.

[@kimt6333]

Morris and Austin merged in '52, so I think it depended on the market what brand they were labelled as.

[@shonbratton1906]

Grew up in 70’s, we had 3 opel’s . To this day I love all working man’s cars. Not so much the exotic’s, my favorite is 75 or so Manta. These GT’s where commonly seen, mostly running. Cool story of Marshal Co. Tn.

[@ronjones1077]

I sat in a GT in the Buick show room in Seattle in 1969. I then did the same with the 240Z and remember wanting the Opel just due to the styling. Up her in Anchorage Alaska many years ago a guy put a GT body on a Stingray chassis with a small block and raced it in the local Fur Rondy in down town Anchorage. The body was so tiny it looked like a 4x4 sitting up on it.

[@meatloafseagal5713]

In the mid 90s on summer break from high school. I went to help out a friend clear out his grandfather's sprawling estate. Among the pristine Deuce Coupes, Unimogs and bitchin camaros.. .. we spotted several guitar cases in the rafters, covered in bat and pigeon poo. Two of those cases held Stradivarius Violins. Well over 100k at the time. These videos remind me of that week. Thanks for the memories

[@boblabastida5171]

The C3 1968 Corvette was designed after the 1965 Mako Shark Corvette show car. So, I beg to differ that the 1968 Opel GT is the father in the design of the C3. Corvette. My opinion is that the Opel GT and C3 Corvette cars were both inspired by the 65 Mako Shark.

[@dennisdose5697]

Pretty sure both cars were designed by Tony Lapine while he was at gm.

[@rjs2005]

My neighbor back when I was a kid in Panama City FL drove home a brand-new '70 Opel GT- white with black interior. I was awestruck by the styling, and he frequently took me for rides in that "Baby Vette" as he called it. He also had a '67 Cougar XR7 with a 390, white with black interior again. I've owned a Cougar, never a GT. Always wanted one to swap in a Miata drivetrain.

[@eskimogioia9848]

I was just thinking as I was watching this that swapping in a Miata drive train and engine would be a fun project and make a fun car to drive. Wish I had the money and time to do stuff like that.

[@rjs2005]

@@tts8361 easier no question- but what's the availability of those engines, especially in Southeastern NC? I can find NA or NB Miata drivetrains fairly easily, or even GM Ecotec drivetrains that may be more difficult to adapt, but cheaper/easier to obtain.

[@Vampirebear13]

Another brilliant episode Tom !!! I've said it before & I'll say it again... When I lived in East TN in the late 80's, there were older guys who'd have barns FULL of cars. It was a regular, everyday thing to drive thru the countryside & you'd see a modest house, with a guy's truck in the driveway & his wife's 4 door sedan in the garage but slightly off in the distance, there'd always be a barn or garage & if you knew who to ask, you could go back & the guy would show you his collection. East TN, North Carolina, North Georgia & most of Alabama is car hunting heaven.

[@danacri2667]

I owned a 1968 Opel GT and loved it. Would love to own another if I could find one in restored condition. Would pay up for one

[@tedschmaltz4346]

I had many friends over the years (I'm 64) that have had these - even helped a friend rebuild his 1.9 waaaay back in the day. I've always loved the styling of these cars.

[@feedingravens]

With the build quality of Opel at that time, time for a rebuild was at 10 years or so. Had an Ascona B back then, the rust just ate it up all around.

[@jamesmisener3006]

Good one Tom. Haven't seen an Opel in years but I know where 30 are now. Cheers 🇨🇦

[@penboyasgod6103]

So, are you going to buy one ... or two ... or ... ?

[@richarddonley8288]

Where. I want one.

[@johnwynne2179]

Remember as a kid in 72-73 going on a road trip, first dream car, in France towards Dijon, Citroen DS, amazing, get to Switzerland, Opel GT's everywhere, wow, they where stunning, hopefully they get back on the road

[@randymack2222]

The Pontiac solstice/Saturn sky, had another sibling not available in the US market! Sold under the Opel GT name.

[@heinerda4768]

I am always suprised, when this fine old cars are stored outside without any protection. So, sun and rain destroyed they more and more. Why not use a simple cover to protect them??? The Opel Kadett and Ascona station wagons are very, very raw cars in Germany and it is hard to see, when they rust away 😖.

[@MisterLumpkin]

I always get a chuckle when somone's "collection" is rotting out in a field.

[@Derf1313]

Lol, had a buddy with a manta when I was in college, out for an afternoon cruise, he shouts "in flight repairs", which is how I learned to drive from the passenger seat, while he pulled a birds nest of wires from under the dash & did repairs! Such great memories. Thanx !

[@jeffrippe6559]

I bought a brand new Buick/Opel in 1976. It had a 1900cc Isuzu engine. It was a blast to drive.

[@lindaorr1028]

My first car was a 1964 Opel Cadet station wagon. 2 door seated 4 with a back space and hatch back. 4 on the floor, Robin's egg blue. I'd take my friends to the drive in when it was raining. I'd back into the space, lift the hatch and we'd lay down real comfy and watch the movie without having to use windshield wipers. Drove that little car all over new England.

[@richardsolano5453]

In college I had a ‘73 Opel 1900 with a Weber. I loved that car. It was a blast to drive. Not fast but fun! One time, my aftermarket fog lights shorted out and melted down wires like he described. Afterwards, I couldn’t get it started until I disconnected the small wire from the coil. Turns out, the tach was shorting the ignition.

[@rehhaus5857]

My first car was a 74 Opel Manta Rallye, did the carb swap to the Weber. Really fun car to drive. Miss it.

[@dougupah8778]

I drove a 74 Opel Manta while in college, that was in the late 80's, early 90's, pretty reliable but not much on looks. I think I paid about $400 for it but it got me through collage.

[@schwibbs1286]

I have a 74 Manta Rallye. White w/ red interior. Got it back on the road and have put about 20,000 miles on it in the last few years. Very very fun car

[@rehhaus5857]

@@schwibbs1286 Sounds great. My Manta was also the White exterior, Black hood with black pin stripes, and the Red Interior. 👍

[@bennetfox]

Back in the early '80s my Dad had a body shop and we had one of these cars come through. I don't remember much about it other than it was red, but the headlights were the part that I remember most!

[@RoyCousins]

The Morris Marina (here badged as Austin for export to the US) was the replacement for the Morris Minor. Original convertible Minors are now fairly rare.

[@bmwloco]

Girl I knew in High School had an Opal GT. Always liked 'em. I was in a '71 Fiat Spyder at the time. 5 speed, 4 wheel discs and double overhead cam engine!

[@BlueSkyScholar]

Had a 2 door 74 1900 for a couple of years in HS. It's only redeeming quality is it was durable. My aunt bought it new but it had been thoroughly ran through the wringer by her sister, 2 brothers, father and my brother by the time it made it to me in 1990.

[@dieselpwr782]

Just love that Morris, that was my first car, was stolen several years ago and I never recovered it. Hope to find another some day.

[@six-pack1332]

Someone stole a Morris Minor?

[@mindovermotor]

I met Harold today at the parts store. Super nice guy that really helped me out with a sticky situation. Man, what an awesome collection! I could snoop around that place for months! 😜👍 Hopefully our paths will cross again. 😀

[@stuartstephens]

I had a Kadette wagon with the 1.1 liter engine. I agree, they were slow. 🙂

[@ImForwardlook]

Interesting, never seen a Marina in the US but with only 6 in the country, no wonder. A friend of mine in Finland had one as a beater in the 80:s, we had an uninsulated garage in the harbor where we worked on our Mopars and had the Morris Marina as something to warm ourselves in. Didn't even know that they were marketed as Austins as well.

[@JCWren]

I had a 1975 Opel Ascona with the 1.9L fuel injection. It was a fun little German econobox, and you could slam it through the gears. Actually bought a 2nd one that I was going to use as a SCCA car, but ended turning it into a daily drive for a friend of mine. There was a guy named Harold in Conyers, GA that worked for Buick in the Opel division. He was a wealth of information.

[@JCWren]

One thing about the GTs is they were REALLY bad about rusting out under the A frame. It trapped moisture really bad, and if you find a GT, odds are the front end is shot.

[@randomrandomness8743]

Always interesting how English cars make it over to the US. That Marina is a rare car in the UK due to rust, so to see a mint one in the US is doubly rare.

[@bobbycuesroadhouse2204]

My buddy had a yellow one with a small block Chevy in four-speed Saginaw about 15 years ago we put a shifter in it, Rocket ship with a narrow 9 inch

[@bigbri4090]

That's a sweet 66 Coronet. My first car that I purchased back in 1989 was the exact twin, same color. However, I don't recall having AC lol.

[@janfswedane]

The Blue 4-door is an Opel Ascona A-model. They are pretty rare in Europe too since they rotted out within 2-3 years. In Europe some GT's are retrofitted with Rotary engines or High Output Japanese 4 cyl engines.

[@landroversforever]

Wish these videos were longer every single time! Just love all the background stories to each car.

[@gainerman]

Had one of those in high school, the interior was nice on those .the cable operated headlights were a crowd pleaser. The oil pressure fed timing chain tensioner took mine out

[@persimonsen8792]

My first car, was an Opel Corsa A 1984 1,0 LS. A beast with an engine you can't kill. The metalworms did instead. This was i Europe / Denmark in 1997.

[@forcedanonymity1791]

Those Opels with a transverse mounted 600 whp turbo’d Honda K20 (05 Acura RSX Type S) or K24 (CR-V)) swap and LSA 6speed swap would be a BLAST.

[@MasterThimself]

For the 1900s (Ascona they were called Here) im with you on that. Northern Europe is strong on this... But for the GT... Man those things are very cramped under the Hood. Honda k series maybe... But to put a LS in there. I don't think its possible

[@rkohnke1]

I had a 1970 Opel GT that I bought in 1984. If I still had it, I probably would have several of them on hand as well. I remember that some of the parts were impossible to find. I do miss it though.

[@stefv2557]

The yellow and blue car are ascona's . And with the 2.4L engine with a different cam , taking 1mm of the cylinder head and doing some flowing you can easily get 200 hp out of that block .

[@rickolson-51]

We owned a 73 Opel wagon which we drove from Oregon to Minnesota and back (not recommended) Great little car for around town only.

[@dennisdose5697]

Drove my 75 wagon from Minnesota to Colorado and back. Slow in the mountains but otherwise fine.

[@protestagain]

That blue Opel 1900 is called Ascona in Europe. A mid-sized car and came as a rear driven in A and B. The C was front driven. The "sports-car" of the A and B was called Manta. The collectible is the rally version, called Ascona 400 made on the B plattform. Back in 1980, I drove one Ascona A with a 1,6 liter engine, trimmed to 160 hp. It wasn't slow. It was a road legal rally car. One of my best car memories. That car would drive circles around American cars back in those days.

[@sgtsempersquid531]

I had a 1971 Kadette for awhile and loved it. I called it the Breadbox because of its shape. I had it before I was old enough for a drivers license so it didn't get driven too much. Always wanted a GT but couldn't find one in good condition.

[@robertcinsc2171]

Spring of 68, i went car shopping with my dad. I was in 1st grade. I saw a yellow 68 Opel GT and asked if we could buy it. My dad reminded me that we had 6 in our family. We went home with the new 70 Chevy Townsman wagon. I never forgot the Opel GT.

[@17713bb]

When the GT was very new, my father was a Buick dealer. He put me on a bus trip to drive a GT four hours back from a distribution point. So, at sixteen I am off on a quick adventure. I was promptly stopped by the police because they were curious and had never seen an Opel GT before. Heck, it was probably the first one that I had ever seen.

[@Axr24have]

Great vid! I had a high school buddy (‘81) that used to drive his dad’s Opel GT. I lived the car. Did I hear to raced 510s? My first car was a ‘69 Datsun 510 (1980). I followed that up owning and driving a ‘72 and ‘73 510. Probably should a kept one of ‘em. 🤨

[@marchenning5037]

I've been chasing the same GT for 23 years now. Saw it in the summer of 99 standing with a broken clutch. It hasn't moved since 98. 3 times a year I go visit the owner and he says not yet. Owned 14 Opels so far from a 71 manta all the way through to a 2006 Opel Corsa. All shapes and sizes mainly Kadetts and Monzas. For some reason after 2006 they seem to have lost the plot and well all the new ones are just generic looking cars. All the motors were tough as nails I had one that I did the head on 3 times but it ran to 600 000 kms before it started puffing a little smoke.

[@deadprivacy]

To see marina in a collection and so rare is really kinda funny. Used to be everywhere In the UK...

[@martinbones681]

I had a 73 Opel GT. Absolutely loved driving it!

[@dennisdose5697]

IIRC the GT and the C3 were both designed by Anatoly Lapine (also did the 928). I had a 72 Manta, my brother had a 74 Manta with a sunroof and dad then got a 73 Manta. Later I had a 75 sport wagon. The front sheet metal was badly rumpled. I found a 74 Manta parts car the same orange color and realized the door skins and windshield were the same and thought the fenders, nose and hood would bolt right on. They did, and I ended up with possibly the only Manta sport wagon in the world! It looked totally factory until you opened the hood and saw the sizable gap between the grill and the frame of the wagon. Surprised there were no Mantas on his place as I think they were more popular than the sedans and wagons (Ascona in Europe). The Manta was a pretty little coupe with good lines and proportions. Minnesota winters were not kind to those cars but I really enjoyed owning them. Hmm, did a bit of looking, Lapine was involved with both Corvette and the Opel GT but probably not as head designer, maybe more a connecting ligament. 🤔

[@davidturk6170]

Had a 1971 Manta. Bought it from one of my college roommates. It was a great running car.

[@tygiovanni5314]

I dove a 72 Kadet, in the late 80's in Austria, great little commuter.

[@ncdave4]

Love, love, love the Opel section.. always loved the Opel GT drove a 1960 Opel Rekord wagon (my moms).. then, while stationed in Germany in the 70s drove a late 60s Rekord sedan before I bought a VW Bug... ahh memories

[@jimyed]

Loved those cars when I saw them as kid growing up in the 70's . I didn't realize they were so under powered. They look so fast.

[@fixedguitar47]

The Solex carb and a few other issues. The 1.9 could never breath properly. Lot of people cut out the hood dome cause of issues.

[@dr.michaelbagbydcbacktohea855]

I had a 70 with the 1900 and a 4 speed and it was pretty quick. I later had a 71 and 73 Manta with the same drive train and they were quicker than they looked. I had plenty of room in them too, and I'm over 6' tall (well I was then).

[@GeorgesMiniatureCars]

I love the Opel GT, a mini Corvette that won't get you in trouble with the law like the Vette could!! I have a KZbin friend, Youngtimer Oldtimer in Germany that loves Opels too. So I get to see all the best original surviving Opels in his car show videos. Opels are very popular in Australia and South America too! Awesome to see an American collector with an appreciation for these cars in various states of repair!!!!

[@ejk6024]

My first car in 1986 was an 70 Opel GT…still have it. Started the rebuild in 2002 by putting an RX7 motor in it and buying 12k in new parts but never went any further with it. Hope to finish it someday but not sure if I will ever find the time.

[@Subaruktm]

No way . So cool 😎 .

[@trickstothetrades1801]

My best friend had a yellow GT when we were in school and i loved riding around in it. It was such a unique car and I always keep my eye open for one but never see one so this was awesome to see. Thank you

[@1dkdank]

Always a good day when Barn Find Hunter is on!!

[@treborretsnom6186]

Took wheels off a early 70's opal, put them on a mid 80's Honda 350, 4 Wheeler... very well balanced, performance great on county highway 👍

[@415s30]

I ended up with a 240Z but I almost got a GT with a Rover/Buick V8 swap. The Conrero race cars were cool, I was going to put that kit on it.

[@surfernorm6360]

the opel gt with a 4.0 rover engine would be cool that engine was the 62 BOP 215 aluminum motor and with modern factory FI it would be a nice street setup

[@harrypisila7553]

Hi, Tom! I saw you racing at the Vintage Festival at Limerock over Labor Day weekend. I love that event! Have you ever done a Barn Find Hunter episode featuring actual barn finds that end up in vintage racing? If not, I (and others, too) would like to see that. Keep up your good work. My first time at Limerock was in about 1974 to see the Car and Driver Pinto. What fun to see you drive the very same car last year!!

[@SuperApplefan1]

ohhh i like that idea!

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

love the lights on these

[@barryolsen3902]

I saw my first Opel GT in 89 and loved them ever since. I ended buying a 69 about 7 years ago and now have it totally ripped apart with the body on a rotisserie. Its been fun learning about it along the way, and yes the rotating head lights are the coolest ever!

[@gordythecreator]

Oliver Springs, TN... You'll see some awesome rust-buckets there TOO. Most ppl missed Clinton Hwy treasure trove by 10yrs.

[@windronner1]

I was literally knocked out the very first time I saw the GT as a kid. And later, I made friends with a guy who put together a 175-225hp version that he said was a monster. Terrific video

[@georgegonzalez2476]

A friend of mine around 1971, his father bought him an Opel GT. Really cool-looking car, but barely a 2-seater inside. I often ended up riding horizontal on the package shelf. The car was often in the Buick dealer's shop. It went through belts, clutch cables, clutches and tires. The wiper fuse would blow if there was even a trace of snow or ice on the windshield. Parts had to come from Germany so it often was sitting at the dealership for a month or two. They lent him a powder-blue Ford LTD-II which was even slower than the Opel GT, even with a 351 V8. One summer they lent him a Cougar which had a bit more power but by the time it was time to return it, the red paint had faded to rose, it was burning a quart of oil every gas fillup, the upholstery was falling apart, and the steering was goosey-loosey. The dealership was a bit dismayed. It probably got flipped to the auction and fetched no more than $75. The Cougar, that is. The GT was so low, one time he went out to the car in a parking lot and somebody had apparently backed up a big Detroit car right up the hood all the way to the windshield. A muffler clamp from the Detroit iron peeled the hood right back. They seemed like good times.

[@briansmith8967]

I had a '69 Strato Blue GT, but after about 25 years or so it was impossible to find parts. Even my friends from Germany said that the only parts available were from the car clubs. Had to finally give mine up after 37 years. Was the most fun car I ever had.

[@majobis]

My first car in the early '80's of my high school years was a 1975 Opel Manta yellow in color with the automatic and A/C. Very similar to the one at 10:00 mark in the video (except it was a 2 door model). It had a dent in the RR quarter which I popped most of it out with a bottle jack so I could replace the tail light with another one from a junk lot. I replaced the carb with a Webber that had manual choke on it. Repainted the rally wheels myself. Drove my drunk friends around in it and about 8 bucks to fill the tank at that time. Great car and wish I still had it. My dad originally bought the Opel Kadett until the engine locked up. We also had a 1976 Opel orange in color made by Izuzu, and my grandmother loved to ride in that car when me or my mother picked her up in it. Although one year I saw a silver Opel Manta in a junk lot and it had the fuel injected engine in it and should have bought it. Like I said I still wish I had my Opel again

[@joelmogensen579]

In the fall of '71 my brother and a married couple went from Wisco to Frisco and L.A. in a GT and even picked up a dog on the way back.Not my idea of a good time.

[@MojoWrangler]

One of my cousins in W VA was into Opel GT back in the 70's 80's and even that early on having one or two running required quite a few parts cars. He had a beautiful white one and five other mostly complete parts cars. He ended up dying in a crash in the car in the mid to late 80's. One of the parts cars was a red Opel that I was absolutely infatuated with. Unfortunately, his parents would not sell the car on the grounds that they didn't want to see one of them "kill someone else" (never mind my cousin's responsibility in the crash). We would go up there every few years back when grandma was alive, and I would get to see them slowly deteriorate away from neglect. Somewhere in a yard in Elkins, W VA there are still the husks of these cars laying in the weeds to rot. I cannot imagine much being left by now.

[@jsmythib]

Love that station wagon. You dont see those at all anymore. My dad drove one in the early 80's.

[@01FozzyS]

Drool on the Newman-Sharp car. Love the Opels. The 1900 is the Ascona. We used to own an Opel Rekord in the Philippines.

[@MegaEdge777]

I made friends with a 16y/o kid who drove an Opel GT in the 10th grade at my high school in 86'. I had to ride in the coolest car on campus! That Opel was fun, but we spent alot of time doing repairs.

[@penboyasgod6103]

Opels are cool looking cars. I've only ridden in one when I was in San Francisco visiting a friend who owned one. I put this in the same "category" as the very early Toyota Celica [did they have Supra back then?] which looked like a smaller fastback Mustang.

[@samthemultimediaman]

The Corvette Mako Shark II concept debuted in 1965 and was the inspiration for the C3 corvette.

[@craigcellnet1671]

Opel had 2 working prototypes @ the Frankfurt Auto show in 1965...design began in 1961.

[@samthemultimediaman]

@@craigcellnet1671 And that has what to do with the Corvette?? they were developing the Mako concept before it was shown to the public in 1965 too, and the C3s release date was going to be in 1967 but it had some issues that caused 1 year delay.

[@dennisdose5697]

As I noted elsewhere, pretty sure Tony Lapine designed both while at gm. Not a matter of copying, they came from the same brain.

[@samthemultimediaman]

@@dennisdose5697 the C3 was designed by Bill Mitchell and Zora Arkus-Duntov

[@dennisdose5697]

@@samthemultimediaman hi Sam, just did some checking, most sources are going with Larry Shinoda. Mitchell was the head of design and Zora was overall lead of Corvette development. I do think Bill Mitchell was the best head of design gm ever had.

[@jameswampler4073]

Had a friend growing up whose Dad worked at a dealership and the family all drove opals. Very strange to see in a midwest farm town.

[@z31online]

Hah! Those are my Z cars. I finally have those in my shop now. Thanks David for storing them!

[@maxheadroom224]

Bravo

[@turnaround2219]

"You gotta see this, I've been trying to get this out of the dogs mouth for 45 minutes!" The cameraman neglects to pan away and actually film the dog.

[@christopherkast8045]

My first car at 17 was a 1969 first year Opel GT with the 1.1 liter 4 cylinder with twin carbs

[@scratchbuiltreplicas824]

I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THESE SHOWS. THE ONLY PROBLEM I WANT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IS THAT THESE ARE NOT LONG ENOUGH. LOL

[@doubledeckerbus-foundation]

The yellow Opel Sport Wagon was sold in Europe as the "Opel Ascona Voyager". It was a rare one. I owned one in the early 80s ;-)

[@kimt6333]

And the blue is a sedan Ascona.

[@robertmcwhinney4596]

Back in the day, the opel was called the poor man's corvette! I thought they were very cool cars. Thought of doing an engine swap on one but never got the opportunity. I wish someone would do that and video it for U-tube or possibly a body swap like the guy that put the "Falcon body" on the "Lexus G-40"! That was Awesome! Thanks for the video!🤠👍

[@lancenutter1067]

D And D Speed Shop channel got a GT a few weeks ago and are gonna make it a driver, etc.

[@charles1964]

I had a '72 GT in 1980 and he's right about it being tight under the hood. The 1900 vapor locked constantly, along with it burning points and other electrical gremlins. Later on I had a '74 Manta Rallye 1900 that was more reliable and actually handled better than the GT. I was never impressed with the mono spring front end set-up, but nowadays I bet you could sort all that out

[@Ltbookum]

Fun to see some Opels in the US. In the Netherlands they have been the bread and butter cars going on from the 50's forward. Never been a fan of the Newer FWD chassis but this era of RWD models could be build into pretty good handeling cars. The Manta's, the Ascona (the wagon and sedan in this vid) and the Kadett C coupe's where all popular cars to hotrod and where used extensively as rally cars because of that. The Ford escort mk1, mk2 and Capri's being their direct competitors. light weight, rwd and some added power was a recipe which was hard to beat. Opel made some specific rally derived models (some being homologation cars) which are highly sought after and valuable today. In Belgium you could custom order a A manta wide body with a straight 6 of the bigger commodores mounted in them (build by a Opel affiliated tuner). Well know rally weapons at the time. They made a lot cool stuff back then, unfortunately it turned into somewhat of a mid market grey dove these days. The last RWD Opel's died with the Opel Omega/Holden Commodore platform.