- Predecessor: rare first-generation Opel Corsa GT on Opel stand
- Time-travel: 1987 “young-timer” drives 2,700 km from Portugal to IAA
- World premiere: sixth-generation Opel Corsa in the spotlight at Frankfurt show
- In the tradition: from sporty Opel Corsa GT to battery-electric Opel Corsa-e Rally
New Opel Corsa meets rare Opel Corsa GT |
Opel is celebrating three world premieres at this year’s IAA Frankfurt International Motor Show (public days September 12-22). New Opel Astra with high efficiency engines, Opel Grandland X Hybrid4 with e-All-Wheel Drive (WLTP fuel consumption, weighted, combined: 1.6 l/100 km, 37 g/km CO2; NEDC: 1.6 l/100 km, 36 g/km CO2) and the new sixth-generation Corsa in three versions. The best-selling small car (more than 13.6 million units) is going electric and with the Corsa-e Rally – also making its debut at the IAA – even forms the basis of an emissions-free competition car. At the IAA the new Opel Corsa will be joined by a special guest – a rare 1987 Opel Corsa GT in yellow, a testament to 37 years of fun and success. The not-so-old-timer was driven from its last home in Portugal to the Opel Classic Workshop in Rüsselsheim. From there it will drive to the IAA in Frankfurt, where it will contribute tradition and further excitement to the launch of the new Opel Corsa.
Opel the reliable: 2,700km from Porto to Rüsselsheim via Zaragoza
It took a while for Opel Classic to find a scarce first-generation Opel Corsa GT. This particular example, originally registered in Spain, was languishing, forgotten, in a garage in Portugal. Drive to Frankfurt for the small, unassuming Gran Turismo starts from a carpark at the harbour of Porto.
Opel offered the GT from April 1985 until autumn 1987. It was the successor of the Opel Corsa SR, with a 70hp 1.3-litre carburettor engine. Extra power and the subtle spoilers made the GT the sportsman of the first Corsa generation – until the more extrovert GSi arrived in 1988. A five-speed manual gearbox tamed the thirst and the rpm on longer trips.
On the way from Portugal to Rüsselsheim, GT drops in at Zaragoza, where it was built in 1987. The car is even allowed to visit the production plant. As the yellow Opel Corsa stops at the assembly line, lots of employees come over as if to greet a long lost friend.
The warm sunshine in Spain and Portugal has been good for the Opel Corsa GT. A life without salty roads means no rust, no rot. Yellow oldie is still in good condition. TÜV agrees and after the check-up for German registration the inspectors put their precious sticker on the licence plate. But now comes the much higher hurdle: the experts from Opel Classic give the new arrival a thorough examination. Several pairs of beady eyes discover numerous more or less serious imperfections – dents in the roof, non-original badging, scratched glass, worn out seat cushions. Even the horn sounds wrong! In the end the car is taken apart completely.
Opel Corsa GT is now ready for its second life that will begin in grand style – at the 68th IAA Frankfurt International Motor Show. Visitors can admire the freshly restored Opel Corsa GT on the Opel stand D31 in hall 11.0. World premiere of the sixth-generation Opel Corsa is bound to benefit.
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