Opel GTs Take Shortcut From Project Car Purgatory To Junkyard
The life cycle of your typical Opel GT appears to have gone like this: 8 years on the street, 30 years up on blocks in the back yard, then a quick stop in the wrecking yard before getting crushed. I haven’t seen a GT on the street for years, but they’re quite common in The Crusher’s waiting room. Here’s a pair of GTs I spotted at a Denver self-service yard.
Seen by European GM fans as the “European Corvette,” (the Manta being the Camaro’s European cousin), the Opel GT had plenty of style, a very un-Corvette-like solid rear axle, and an even more un-Corvette-like 1900cc four-cylinder engine. Those manually-operated flip-around headlights were pretty cool, though!
As a former Manta victim, I admit to having something of an anti-Opel bias. But still, I think it’s sad that all the remaining GTs are being rounded up and destroyed. Let’s enjoy the original “You’re Too Fat For This Car, Old Man” German Opel GT ad, shall we?
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
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don't know how common they are at the salvage yard I go there quite often and have only seen those two and one in kansas city in 10 or so years
I am a full time student at Metro State University in Denver Co. I noticed the posts regarding the Opel GT junkyard find. I am currently studying ME at Metro, and was appointed the team leader in a project of restoring and converting a 1973 Opel GT to an electric vehicle. Unfortunately the Opel is trashed, with almost no parts left. I have an extensive automotive background, and just need to know where these Opel where found so I can source parts....if they are still there. What Junkyard were these found in??? PLEASE HELP! Thanx: Opel GT 73