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

Der Opel GT, das Traumauto meiner Jugend

Es hat leider nur für einen Opel Kadett B Rallye gereicht.
Bj. 1968 mit Austauschmaschine mit 45 Ps.
Das war mein erstes Auto mit 18 Jahren.
Unvergesslich

That red one in the driveway is a friend's car. He couldn't find this guy for 15(?) years. He is going to retrieve it in a few days. This guy remembered him.

Here in England during the 1970s, The Vauxhall ( Opel ) Marina was everywhere and it was bloody horrible to look at and drive. I'm amazed that there are any left.

Hey Harold!

OMG A MArina! Got to be one of the most travelled ?

A teacher at my elementary school here in Sweden had one too, as i recall it was one with the smallest engine avaible. Boy, did i want that car as a teen (okay, i´d still like to have one along with all other cars in my dream garage 🙂). It was based on parts from the Opel Rekord and the Opel Kadett B series so it´s about as simple as a car gets when it comes to parts and service (not that i´ve ever taken a GT apart but the others i have some experience of). Must have been the 1,7 liter version of the CIH (Cam-In-Head) engine. As far as i remember it was categorized as 1.7N, 1.9N (low compression) and 1,7 and 1.9S (higher compression and slightly more performance oriented) which btw was developed in early to mid 60s in Detroit by Chevrolet as it´s been written somewhere for use in some subcompact the size of the Vega, but the decision was made to dump it on Opel which was in rather dire need of a more modern engine line in their main models so there was also an CIH inline six following (found in the european midsize Opel Commodore and the fullsize Kapitän/Admiral versions of the KAD line (the top model Diplomat came with a 327 Chevy). To my knowledge, this 4-cyl. engine was based on it´s OHV style predecessor that had roots back to the 1929 Chevy six (about the same engine was used by Opel´s bigger cars), not sure exactly what´s interchangeable or not especially as i recall that there was minor changes done progressively along the production with some important changes in the CIH engine around 1970 or so to dish out some issues with the valve train. Kind of a compromise aimed at creating a cheap but reliable everyday engine, it has been proven to be able to produce big amounts of power for it´s size and has since the start been a favourite for the rallye and rallycross crowds which kind of boggles my mind as a friend of a friend swapped the 1.9S engine in his seventies Opel Rekord no less but THREE times in a year because of that the old junkyard finds kept breaking down , but i´ve been told that using aftermarket parts you can build them strong and agile for street rodding - i should mention that another friend rebuilt a 1,7S engine into a mean little machine in his home shop and it made quite the impression with high revs and the noise to match and respectable power for its size. I still outran it in a street race with my heavier Datsun that made more power from 1.8 liters with less grunt, but that´s another story 😀. Fun fact about the GT: the up-and-coming swedish car designer was as a young man taken onto the staff that did the design for it in Germany, later on he would become head of design at Saab with a heavy influence on the progression of the 99 series and turning that into the 900.

That four door should be turned into an Aussie burnout car.

As per usual ignore the BMW E30! Us UK & Euro viewers do generally like them. By the way the Marina is a terrible car, yet the E30 is one of the world's finest drivers cars...

My older sister owned one of these cars. They were ripping good fun to drive fast, agile and sexy.

Weird engine layout. An Almost Overhead Cam. If you are not going to go OHC but intend on having as short a valve train as possible I think Renault cam up with a better solution. I had two Model 18s. Both had the 1600 OHV with the cam so high in the block the cam sprocket was partly in a cavity in the head. Aside from the cam the rest of the valve train, tappers and all were in the head. Plus the head was a hemi cross flow.

Come to Connecticut, there is a great amc/hudson yard I know of

Under the umbrella of GM, Opel changed over the decades from an innovative and coveted car to a slow seller. This also applies to Vauxhall, English brand. It was probably not due to the German designs, but to the American company management.
Surprisingly among today's French owners, Opel is back on the road to success.

When I was a kid, the Buick dealer's back lot was two houses down, and they sold Opel GTs there, we kind of laughed at them, and of course referred to them as Baby Vetts. They are kind of cool, but then I have a Corvair convertible in my garage, so consider the source...

I've owned 3 Opels and all were great cars I wish my country had brought these and the Manta in

Loved Opels , except for the fuse box being under the battery box

I can't believe there's a Marina in the U.S.! Seems in FANTASTIC condition - all it needs is a piano dropped on it :)

The story of that Dodge is hilarious. He drove the thing until he realized I CAN'T drive anymore. How do you know you are probably not made for the road? When you get pulled over for driving to slow. It might be time to hang it up then.

So he's got 12 cars to keep at least one or two of them running LOL

Odd way of taking cars he really loves.

Back in the late 60s, a friend of mine had a 66 Opel manta...with a 1.9 engine...it was quite quick, and very tossable, as they used to say!

The green GT next to the barn...I have the same one but it seems mine has a Winter rubber spoiler and extra wide wide arch kit on but in the exactly same color...was there any special Editions done in the green color ...mine is a 1971 to 1972 edition...

There are two GTs next to a Quonset building in west Fargo ND. I've been wanting to buy them for a while now. Never seem to catch the older gentleman when he's there to ask about them. Great looking cars for sure.

I had an Opel Ascona B, you could see that a lot of the parts especially in the interior were the same. Why reinvent switches, door handles, air vents in the dashboard from scratch, concentrate on the body the people see - and are still drooling when they see it today.

You do not see how tiny that car is when you just see the pictures...

I saw one "in the wild" last year, on the parking lot of Nymphenburg palace, Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

In good shape a price of 20,000 Euros/dollars seems to be possible.

When I was growing up, there were a few of these that raced at the local track in Gulfport, MS. IIRC, they both ran in Super Gas (9.90 index). I recall one being a small block car; not sure if they both were. Must have been a handful with that short wheelbase!

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!

Opel was sold in the US for many years but not under the Opel name. Cadillac Catera , Saturn Astra, Chevrolet Malibu , Buick Regal , Buick ENCORE

Love the blue Ascona!!

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

I hope I can find this guy if I ever get around to my mother in laws GT.

I'm English and can say that the Marina was 1 of the most hated disliked British car ever as video started I thought that looks like a Marina, so 6 Americans have been daft enough to import them, to show how much they are hated original Top gear as in when it was the original and best worldwide most watched Car comedy journalism with Clarkson Hammond and May they destroyed quite a few over the 14 years they were on Top gear, Infact Marina owners club use to write into the BBC is complain.

i hate it when people say.. Yeah, i built this building,, rIGHT, YOU HAD IT BUILT

I like the way this Nissan guy kept his cars, so clean so immaculated...

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

“It’s a driver”

My dad restored an Opel GT, rebuilt the engine, painted it to its original blue. He had put a lot work in it, his plan was to give it to me as my first car. I was 18 at the time, I wanted a VW MK2 GTI. He was heart broken, when I told him i didn’t want that car. I regret not taking the Opel. But in all honesty, I probably would have crashed it. I have 4 DUIs and I’ve been in 3 accidents. I would have destroyed that Opel. My dad ended up selling it to someone who loved the car.

I’m two years sober and I can’t drive until 2026, but I am hopeful that one day I’ll be able to own and experience driving an Opel GT.

I had a 1973 and I thought they were pretty zippy, fast enough for me i guess because they were small and light.

My first car was a blue manta w a sunroof. Loved that car

The only thing stopping me from buying one is its poor performance. I don't want to be beat off the line by a a Volkswagen, etc. There doesn't seem to be any decent engine that can be fit into that small compartment, except for non-street-legal motors, according to what I have been able to find online.

I saw three of them for sale in Delhi, Tx 78953

Sick, Tom's vids were good a few years ago, but I can't stand the double ads every 5 minutes. Not enough just to Hagerty advertize. I'm otta here.

My brother bought one in late 70, a 71 model. Parked it in my fathers back yard in 75. Broke his back in 91. Gave it to me in 86, with 29000 miles on it. I retired last year, and restoration will begin this year. Its been kept indoors since 91, and has less than 1 mile on it since originally parked. My daughter will be gifted the car when im expired.

Piękne... Miałem Mantę B gt/e z 1980 roku przez 18 lat. Świetne auto. Teraz ma je mój kumpel, a ja przesiadłem się na Camaro 96.
Podoba mi się ta niebieska Ascona A. Ale chciał bym dwudrzwiową i z szerokimi amerykańskimi zderzakami.

This guy to me seems like one of the old timers that say no it's not for sale I'm going to restore them. Go back 1 year later and maybe one of the cars might have been moved inside. But yet the rest sit there and rust and sun damage dash paint ect.. no I told you there not for sale..when someone like me would buy one and make it new again. Sometimes I hear those cars whisper to me please take me home, I want to feel the road under my tires I want to take a ride around a few scenic country sides and the wind flowing over my hood.. I feel like it's a good dog with a owner that don't care much. Don't take me the wrong way. I just feel you need to listen to some people. I would be happy to know someone have my car a good home instead of my son's and daughters just selling my cars and property to anyone..maybe even a scrapper..

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. 😀

Opel GT Buick 231 swap is what I’ve always wanted to put together along with a t-5 five speed

I found a chicken house full of Opel Kadets in Georgia years ago. The owner said he was collecting them.

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.

Did anyone see that early on...? He was using a MAP...brilliant. 😊

Oh wow, I didn't know that Opel was even present in the USA.
Everyone in Germany knows it. Although it was taken over by General Motors in the 1920s, Opel was essentially still a German brand with its headquarters in Germany.
The design of the old Opel models was based on American cars and was therefore the most beautiful thing Opel ever built.