Opel GT and Opel Corsa A GSi are “Vintage Cars of the Year”

• Premiere: First time one brand wins two awards in Auto Bild Klassik readers’ choice
• Celebrities: Opel designer Erhard Schnell and touring car legend Volker Strycek accept awards

Vintage Car of the Year in the sports car and coupé segment: Opel GT designer Erhard Schnell next to his award-winning brainchild.

The 1968 Opel GT and the 1988 Opel Corsa GSi have won “Vintage Car of the Year” awards. It is the first time ever that two cars made by a single brand have celebrated victories at the “Golden Vintage Car” readers’ choice award organised by magazine Auto Bild Klassik. The pan-European award was established in 2010 and readers can choose their favourites in six categories. The iconic Opel GT won the “Sports cars and coupés” segment while the speedy Opel Corsa A GSi impressed in the “Small and compact car segment”. Two very special Opel ambassadors travelled to the award ceremony in Stuttgart. 91-year-old former Opel designer Erhard Schnell accepted the award for his brainchild – the Opel GSi. Elsewhere “Mister GSi”, Opel Director Performance Cars Volker Strycek, collected the trophy for the Corsa GSi.

“The courage we displayed when designing the Opel GT has paid off time and time again. I am delighted that its design still fascinates people today and has resulted in it winning ‘Vintage Car of the Year’,” said Erhard Schnell. “Opel has always built cars that spark emotion. This is demonstrated by icons such as the Opel GT but also by little sports cars such as the Corsa GSi – of which the latest variant is currently available,” added Volker Strycek.

Vintage Car of the Year in the small and compact car segment: “Mister GSi” Volker Strycek with the 1988 Opel Corsa A GSi.

Opel Corsa GSi was launched exactly 30 years ago. It was as dynamic as a motorbike: extremely compact, 820 kg light, with cheeky wheel arches, sport seats, 100 hp and a top speed of 188 km/h. It laid the foundations for further Corsa GSi models and its DNA can still be seen in its latest descendent. The latest generation Corsa GSi celebrated its world premiere a few weeks ago. Powered by a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine (fuel consumption^[1]: urban 8.0-7.7 l/100 km, extra-urban 5.5-5.1 l/100 km, combined 6.4-6.1 l/100 km, 147-139 g/km CO₂) it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.9 second and has a top speed of 207 km/h. The new Corsa GSi and its big brother the Insignia GSi are thus continuing Opel’s successful GSi tradition.

A groundbreaking design was already a feature of the very first sketch for Opel’s other winner at this year’s awards, the Opel GT. Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965, the Opel GT was already rolling off the production line three years later thanks to the excitement it stirred. The advertising slogan “Only flying is better” is just as iconic as the “Coke bottle” shape and the “sleeping eyes” pop-up headlights. Even back then, those responsible combined sportiness with comfort and trendsetting efficiency – just as the Opel designers are doing today with the Opel GT X Experimental. The forward-looking brand concept is a bold, 4.06-metre, 5-door, all-electric compact SUV with coupé appeal and brimming with innovative ideas, which gives a preview of what the future holds for Opel models.

 

---

^[1] Values measured according to WLTP and converted to NEDC for comparison.