6. Opel GT
In the late 60’s, the German brand, Opel was one of the most popular economy car manufacturers in Europe. Since General Motors owned it, they designed the Opel too, making it look like scaled-down versions of Chevrolets and Buicks. So, in 1968, the GM presented the Opel GT, a sporty, affordable coupe.
Opel needed a sports car they could base on their entry-level model, the Kadett. So in the mid-60’s, GM introduced the GT. The Corvette and the GM concept from the mid-60’s heavily influenced the design. With covered headlights, a curvy Coke bottle design, twin round tail lights and a similar silhouette, the Opel GT was a scaled-down version of the Corvette.
It even appeared on the market at the same time as the Vette’s third generation. With 1.3 and 1.9-liter four-cylinder engines, the Opel GT lacked the same power or performance, but it had the looks. The Buick dealership network sold it in America and, interestingly, it sold well. In fact, they sold more Opel GTs in the U.S. than in Europe during the five-year production run.