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1965 Opel Experimental GT
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965
Opel Experimental GT, 1965 - Interior
Opel Experimental GT, 1965 - Interior
Opel Experimental GT, 1965 - Interior
Opel Experimental GT, 1965 - Frankfurt Motor Show
Opel Experimental GT, 1965 - Frankfurt Motor Show
An iconic sketch of the Opel Experimental GT by Erhard Schnell, who led Opel’s Advanced Studio. This department had no equivalent in the European industry and immediately started working on the Experimental GT, an affordable, exciting sports car presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965.
Images: GM
1965 Experimental GT: When we look at this icon of automotive design, it immediately becomes clear that this vehicle already embodied today’s design credo “Sculptural Artistry meets German Precision” to contemporary perfection. In 1965, the heart of every Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) visitor beat faster at the sight of the Experimental GT’s breathtaking lines, while journalists and industry experts were impressed with the unique, front mid-engined concept and the sporty two-seater’s novel, pop-up headlamps.
Vision
Originally developed as a high-performance laboratory on wheels for the testing of chassis and engine components, the Experimental GT was never planned for production. But after the frenzy the car created with the press and public, the concept became reality just three years later. Opel had set a precedent: the 1968 Opel GT it was first European concept car to go into series production. It was a role model for the industry: the trend-setting concept of an affordable, sporty dream car.
Technology
Opel was the first car manufacturer to demonstrate its innovative power with a concept car that had been entirely created in its own design facilities. "Besides having a fantastic look, the Opel sports car was primarily designed to impress with sophisticated aerodynamics," explains Erhard Schnell, GT designer at the time. Even the headlights were shrouded to reduce air resistance.
Exterior
The Experimental GT followed a new design style often called the "Coke Bottle Shape", which could also be seen reflected in the design of the Corvettes of the time. A sleek front end with retractable headlamps, tapered flanks in the door area, and bulging rear fenders which flowed into the rear with sharp separating edges and round brake lights - these were the Experimental GT's key design characteristics.
Interior
The cockpit of the Experimental GT was unusually roomy and functional, with full instrumentation set in an impressive-looking dashboard with toggle switches, competition steering wheel and short shift lever. There was a parcel shelf behind the seats that could only be accessed through the main doors. Behind the parcel shelf was a fold-up panel that concealed a spare tire and jack.
www.opel.com
The famous coachbuilders had long been producing one-off concept cars to showcase their talents – but with the 1965 Experimental GT concept, Opel became the first European manufacturer to build its own…
Initially conceived as a testbed for engine and chassis components to be employed at Opel’s new high-speed test track in Dudenhofen, the Gran Tourisme concept was never intended to reach production. But when it was first shown to the public at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show, it was welcomed with a warm reception from European show-goers.
Too attractive for the test track
Boasting a scaled-down version of the ‘Coke Bottle’ design pioneered by its Corvette cousins – including a tapered nose, bulging haunches and round rear lights – the GT was a pretty little car. It wasn’t only about the looks though; the car had relatively sophisticated aerodynamics for its time, including the pop-up headlamps that would become so popular the following decade. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite share the same muscle as its American counterparts – it was powered by a 1.9-litre Rekord engine, albeit tuned.
Ultimately though, the GT received such a strong response that it became the first European concept car to make the leap into series production – a big statement from a car whose cries might have been
forever restricted by the perimeter walls of a test track.
Joe Breeze - www.classicdriver.com
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