Opel Reveals Stunning GT Roadster

By Feann Torr - 2/Feb/2006

In the competitive make-or-break world of automotive design, it's often the exotic European marques that push the boundaries, setting the benchmark for years to come.

But I tell you, it's great to see a mainstream automaker - under the General Motors umbrella, no less - doing very impressive things with vehicle design.

To be unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the Opel GT has that instant 'wow' factor that comes from expressive, sometimes even risky styling cues, in what should give the likes of Toyota and Ford something to think chew on.

Though nothing's in concrete yet, the vehicle is expected to be a few bob cheaper than your standard Ferrari F430, while at the same time providing visual impact on a similar scale. Suffice it to say, the new GT is here, and it stands out.

With it's simple name - taken from the 1968 vehicle of the same name - small shape and gorgeous curves, the new car certainly struck a chord with this writer's sense of style, and most of the other blokes around the office were asking whether Porsche had created a new Boxster concept. "No," I explained, "it's from the General's garage." 

Built on the same platform as the new-ish American roadsters Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, the latter of which it shares an uncanny resemblance (cheers Mangos), the Opel GT could make it's way to Australia if it proves popular in other markets.

Forgetting its sublime styling for just a moment, the new  GT is a rear-wheel driven proposition powered by a 2.0-litre turbo powerplant mounted over the front axle, which will help keep costs down, while ensuring that enthusiastic drivers can still crank things up a notch when needed.

Fat 18-inch wheels will also contribute to the GT's driving dynamics, giving the small roadster plenty of grip/smoke when cornering/burning-out, while it claims the small engine ensures" a balanced weight distribution," further improving user-friendliness at the limit.

Looking at the details, Opel will be providing the GT with its 194kW/260hp 2.0-litre EcoTec turbo engine, which also features direct petrol injection for a bit of extra poke. Opel is keeping tight-lipped on specific performance figures until the vehicle's official launch at the '06 Geneva Motor Show, but insists the 194kW mill pushes the GT from zero to 100km/h "in less than six seconds". Let's assume 5.8 seconds then. It has divulged the GT's top speed however, which will be a smidgen over 230km/h, which is pretty fast, particularly with an open-air cockpit.

Opel explained that  "a great name doesn’t have to be long" and fair enough too. It's a roadster, it's rear wheel drive and it looks plenty sporty. It's also yet another modern interpretation of a vehicle from a bygone era, but arguably one of the more impressively conceived ideas of late.

The major styling cues that attract the eye are the large 18-inch wheels and pumped wheel arches: at the front the overhangs are very short, giving the GT a decidedly sporty flavour, while the front wings incorporating the sleek headlight clusters blister away from the central bonnet section in true European style. A deep front fascia houses the Opel grille and below this is a mesh-covered air dam, behind which hides the engine's intercooler. If there's any criticism to be levelled at the design, it could be the stacked fog lights, which destroy some of the symmetry of the front end. It's not terminal though.

Featuring an electrically-powered fabric roof that folds away beneath the flat surface of the boot, the new GT eschews the popular metal folding roof for the much-lighter (and cost effective)option.

The rear is also very easy on the eyes, featuring flared rear haunches incorporating stylised slimline wrap-around brakelight clusters. The smoothly styled twin buttresses that flow from the rear headrests give the vehicle an almost exotic flavour, while a pair of large rectangular exhaust pipes create an illusion of increased width down low, finishing off the car's eye candy with style.

GM Europe's big chief, Carl-Peter Forster explains that the GT will add to the marque's growing band of visually appealing vehicles: "The GT is a powerful addition to our range of attractive niche products, and thereby further enhances the appeal of the Opel brand.

“The Tigra, the Astra TwinTop, and the new GT mean that we will have three very different models, all of which deliver top-down driving excitement. Moreover, the GT is a perfect example of how GM uses and applies its worldwide resources for the good of the individual brands.”

First seen in 1968, Opel explains that the original GT design owes a lot to the USA, as it was inspired by the 'coke bottle' shape that also gave the Corvette Stingray its porn-star looks. The original Opel GT was built between 1968 and 1973, and will once again return to the road early in the first quarter of 2007 in Europe.