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Opel GT
In the late ’60s, the German brand Opel was one of the most popular economy car manufacturers in Europe. Since General Motors owned it, they approved and styled the design of all Opel models. This meant that most Opel models looked like scaled down versions of Chevrolets or Buicks. And this was exactly the case with the Opel GT. It was a sporty affordable coupe they presented in 1968.
Opel needed a sports car to base on the Kadett, its entry-level model. So, in the mid-60s, it got the approval from GM to introduce such a vehicle. In fact, the Corvette and the GM concepts from the mid-60s heavily influenced the design. With covered headlights, the curvy Coke bottle design, twin round tail lights and 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 its 1.3 and 1.9-liter four-cylinder engines, the Opel GT didn’t have any of the Corvette’s power or performance, but it had the looks. It sold well in America through the Buick dealership network. In fact, they sold more Opel GTs in the U.S. than in Europe during its five-year production run.