March 2009


Opel GT: Powerful Roadster and Cool Cruiser

• Classic roadster qualities: Front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, manual soft top
• Sports car with twin A-arms and limited slip differential
• Two-liter turbo gasoline engine with direct injection produces 264 hp

Rüsselsheim. The modern definition of an athletic two-seater finds its form in the Opel GT. As a classic roadster, it has a front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, a cockpit with sporty instruments and a tailor-made fabric roof. With a wide stance, sleek silhouette, long,
front-hinged hood and short overhangs, the proportions are typical of this class. The Opel GT has an unmistakable personality thanks to its dynamic look and configuration, which enables a comfortable driving experience even on long journeys. The high-tech turbo engine with gasoline direct injection is also extraordinary. It produces 194 kW/264 hp, 350 Nm of torque and accelerates the car from zero to 100 km/h in less than six seconds. The
two-seater carries its legendary name because it continues the tradition of the first Opel GT (1968 – 1973) and, like the original, is in one of the most exciting vehicle classes.

Design and packaging

Sharp, taut lines coupled with flowing surfaces give the Opel GT a crisp, dynamic look. Its strong face is dominated by the fender’s accentuated sweep, the bold chrome crossbar with integrated Opel logo, the elongated hood with brand-typical center crease,
chrome-bordered air inlets and bold 3-D headlamps in clear glass look drawn deep into the side panels.

The GT’s especially sporty characteristics include the long air vents in the hood, the grooving in the front fenders with their dynamic, Opel-typical horizontal contours, the double-pipe exhaust system and the twin air scoops behind the head restraints, which are reminiscent of designs from roadster and motor sport history. 18-inch aluminum wheels in five-spoke design fill out the wheelarches.

Chrome-ringed instruments in the cockpit clearly display all important information, while the high-tech nuance of the surface structures, accentuated by black piano lacquer, emphasizes the sporty ambience. The short, joystick-like gear stick adds significantly to driving fun: directly connected straight to the GT’s transmission, it enables quick gear shifts from the roadster-typical seating position.

Passive safety

The Opel GT is designed to meet the special demands of an open-top, two-seat sports car without making any compromises. The vehicle structure, which consists of hydroformed side members and a supporting center tunnel made from drawn sheet steel – similar to the legendary American Corvette sports car –, provides a solid basis for the car’s precise handling and high passive safety. The hydroforming technique uses high water pressure in the manufacture of steel components.

The GT also features a comprehensive safety package for passenger protection, including front airbags for driver and passenger, three-point automatic seatbelts with pretensioners, side impact protection and sport seats with integrated head restraints.

Chassis and active safety

For the Opel GT chassis, engineers designed a classic, sporty configuration based on a rigid chassis, wide track and long wheelbase: all four wheels are suspended from twin A-arms made from forged aluminum, the center of gravity is low and the weight distribution of 51:49 percent (front/rear) is superbly balanced. A torque beam between the gearbox and rear axle suppresses load-alteration effects.

While disk brakes on all wheels, ABS, Traction Control (TC) and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) ensure safety, the driver can control the use and level of ESP and TC. Both systems are fully active after ignition, with the setup providing driving fun but also keeping the vehicle stable within its physical limitations. At the touch of the ESP button in the center console, TC is switched off, but ESP remains active and intervenes as soon as the yaw angle exceeds certain thresholds. Two short presses change the ESP’s calibration to a sportier mode and keep the Traction Control deactivated. Pushing and holding the ESP button again for around ten seconds until the “ESP Off” symbol lights up completely deactivates ESP and TC. A short press of the button in any mode returns the two systems to their normal states. This also occurs automatically with each new engine start.

Engines and transmissions

The Opel GT does not just look quick, it is quick! Its longitudinally front-installed
two-liter engine, coupled with the highly responsive five-speed manual transmission and
rear-axle limited slip differential accelerates the roadster to 100 km/h from a standing start in just 5.7 seconds, and to a top speed of around 230 km/h.

High-tech features such as gasoline direct injection, twin-scroll turbocharger with intercooler, double camshaft phasing and twin balance shafts provide the basis for the 1998 cm³, four-cylinder engine’s impressive performance data. Maximum output of 194 kW/264 hp at 5300 rpm and high torque plateau of 353 Nm between 2500 and 5000 rpm ensure plenty of power in all situations. The GT requires an average of 9.2 liters of super unleaded gasoline per 100 kilometers.

Opel GT: Facts and figures

Timeline

• March 2006: World premiere at Geneva Motor Show
• April 2006: Premiere in Germany at the AMI Motor Show in Leipzig
• March 2007: Sales start in Germany
• February 2008: Production volume doubled

Highlights

• 2.0 turbo ECOTEC is Opel’s first gasoline direct-injection unit with turbocharging
• 97 kW/132 hp: Highest power output per liter of any Opel production engine
• March 2007: Named “Cabrio of the Year 2007” by an international jury of automotive experts
• June 2007: Victory over BMW Z4 3.0si in D Motor on TV station for men DMAX