OPEL

GT

The Opel GT first appeared as a stunning concept at the 1965 Frankfurt and Paris motor shows, and the public reaction was so strong that General Motors' German division put it into production almost unchanged. Launched in 1968, the Opel GT wrapped the humble mechanicals of the Opel Kadett B in a swoopy, long-nosed fastback body whose proportions were so close to the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette that it earned the affectionate nickname "baby Corvette." Bodywork was built by the French coachbuilder Brissonneau & Lotz, and one of the Opel GT's signature party tricks was its manually rotating, pop-up headlamps, flipped open by a long lever beside the gearshift. Most cars used a willing 1.9-litre cam-in-head four-cylinder engine producing around 102 horsepower, with a cheaper 1.1-litre version offered early on; in total 89,130 of the 1900 models and 3,573 of the small-engined cars were built, along with 10,760 of the budget GT/J. Light, low and beautifully styled, the Opel GT gave ordinary buyers genuine sports car glamour at a Kadett price. Production ended in 1973 when the Brissonneau & Lotz contract lapsed and the Datsun 240Z made a redesign uneconomic, by which point 103,463 examples of the Opel GT had been built. Long overlooked, the Opel GT is now a cult classic, admired for its gorgeous shape, charming rotating headlamps and unbeatable value among 1960s sports coupes.