Opel has an exciting history all the way back to 1869. Then Adam Opel started a factory for the production of sewing machines. Later, production was expanded to include bicycles and Opel became one of the world's largest bicycle manufacturers.
Sports cars through the ages
But at the end of the 1800th century, Opel decided to expand its production to also include cars. The first models were called Opel-Lutzmann and came in 1899. To get started quickly, Opel had bought the car factory of Friedrich Lutzmann with equipment and finished constructions. Opel came up with a number of models in the following years, both family and sports cars. One of the most talked about sports cars was the rocket car which was powered by 12 rockets. In 1929, the car drove on the Bjerkebanen in Oslo in front of 10 spectators. But Opel was probably best known for its family cars and the brand is still there. In order to bring out a bit of the old sports car profile, Opel presented in 000 a nice sports model with the name Opel GT and it went into full production in 1965.
A car for enthusiasts
Here was a car that really caused attention with its special design. The car both looked sporty and, with the biggest engine, the car had good speed resources. Quite a street racer that caused a stir among everyone who had a sense of cars and driving. The most prominent detail of this model was the headlights that could be raised and lowered. This had to be done manually and it required raw muscle power. The first 100 cars were more or less handmade and are today highly sought after by enthusiasts. In tests, the car received a lot of praise and special praise for its spacious cabin. The interior space was far better than in competing car models. But because of the price, sales were limited. Opel therefore tried to market a less expensive model with the designation GT/J. It had less equipment and a price that gave more value for money.
In total, over 100 Opel GTs were sold between 000 and 1968.
Data Opel GT 1900:
Length: 411 cm
Width: 158 cm
Height: 122 cm
Top speed: over 180 km/h
Engine: 1897 ccm – 103 hp
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Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.