Opel is a German car manufacturer which was founded in 1921 but majority ownership was acquired by GM as early as 1929. At the time Opel had over a third of the market share in Germany as was Germany’s largest export brand and grew to be its largest producer of automobiles per year, before World War 2. During the war, control of the company was siezed by the Nazi party to build tanks and trucks and over the course of the war, a large percentage of their factory buildings were destroyed. Following the war those in Rüsselsheim were rebuilt, largely building scaled down versions of American Chevrolet and other GM products, with styling very similar to American cars of the time. The Opel GT was launched in 1968, borrowing mechanical components from the Opel Kadett with bodywork built under contract by Brissonneau & Lotz of France. The styling is reminescent of the Corvette of the era, but was built in steel rather than fiberglass. Also like the Corvette, the front suspension incorporated a transverse leaf spring along with A arms. Power came from a 1.1 liter or the more common optional 1.9 liter 4 cylinder engine, generally with a 4 speed manual but with an optional 3 speed auto box. Unlike just about every other Opel model, the majority of GTs were sold in the US, where the cars were sold at Buick dealerships. Production ended in 1973 rather than redesigning the car for safety mandates and to be competitive with contemporaries such as the Datsun 240Z, as well as the end of the body building contract with Brissonneau & Lotz. This Opel GT is a 1970 model fitted with the 1.9 liter engine, purchased from a local collector. The car is a solidly running, with rebuilt mechanicals and is a relatively rust free example. The interior on this car was redone in the original red, with 1970 being the last year a red interior was available, while the exterior was poorly repainted in the original white, but the paint is sound. Being a pre-1971 model, it has a higher compression engine than the smog compliant 1971-73 models and acceleration is reasonable for the car, probably on par with an MGB GT or similar car of the era. With the engine set back behind the front axle, weight balance is good and weighing in at less than 2100 pounds, the car is relatively light. Overall the car handles well, but can present a bit of understeer at speed. Still, the suspension is relatively compliant and comfortable and the driving position is good. The Opel GT’s party trick is the headlights, which are operated by a lever in the center console and the headlight pods rotate 180 degrees along an axis parallel to the length of the car. At some point I may look at having the car repainted to clear up the poor paint quality, but until then, I’ll just drive it.