Poor Man's Corvette - 1973 Opel GT on My Classic Car with Dennis Gage - Cyclo Polisher

[Mike Phillips]

Poor Man's Corvette - 1973 Opel GT on My Classic Car with Dennis Gage - Cyclo Polisher

Cyclo Polisher Removing Oxidation on a 1973 Opel GT on My Classic Car

Air Dates

My Classic Car Episode #17010 – “Cyclo Polisher” Garage Segment

Sunday, May 13th @ 12:30pm Eastern Time and 9:30am Pacific Time

Tuesday, May 15 @ 4:30pm Eastern Time and 1:30pm Pacific Time

Sunday, May 20th @ 9:30am Eastern Time and 6:30am Pacific Time

While filming our new how-to features for upcoming episodes of My Classic Car with Dennis Gage I had 3 cars to work on and one of them is a 1973 Opel GT also known as the Poor Man's Corvette.




This car is owned by the son of Dennis Gage and they use it just as a fun car to drive around town running errands and chasing parts. It has an single stage finish that Dennis says was sprayed sometime in the mid to late 1970's which is the type of paint that was still being sprayed back then. You can see from these pictures that while the paint is still intact, the horizontal surfaces are showing signs of oxidation.







Oxidized single stage paints work really well for before and after demonstrations because usually the after shots are fairly dramatic.

The Opel GT was sold through Buick dealerships and besides the Opel GT back in the 1970's you could also get a Manta and a Kadet.

[CEE DOG]

Opel GT (the newer model) is cousin of my Saturn Sky Redline!

[Mike Phillips]

Opel GT (the newer model) is cousin of my Saturn Sky Redline!

I read that the new Opel GT is basically the Saturn Sky except for the Opel badges...

Cool to see the Saturn Sky live on at least in other countries and what an honor to get the Opel GT name.

[tuscarora dave]

Those are cool little cars. I went to high school with a guy who had 3 of these cars, 1 of which he crammed a 327 into. That was a scary car to be a passenger in with that nut behind the wheel. His other car was a 427 split bumper Camaro. All my friends were motor heads that listened to Motorhead lol.

Can't wait to see the outcome of this little piece of history!

[Setec Astronomy]

I sure remember those cars, Mike, but my memory is fading...I was going to ask if that was the "Opel" that was built by Isuzu in Japan, but I decided to look it up and these were built in Germany. Must have been the Kadet that was an Isuzu.

[TLMitchell]

I sure remember those cars, Mike, but my memory is fading...I was going to ask if that was the "Opel" that was built by Isuzu in Japan, but I decided to look it up and these were built in Germany. Must have been the Kadet that was an Isuzu.

I thought all Opels were built in Germany. I had a '73 Manta that superceded the Kadett and it was made in Germany.

TL

[Setec Astronomy]

I thought all Opels were built in Germany. I had a '73 Manta that superceded the Kadett and it was made in Germany.

After researching this, I must be thinking of the Buick Opel, which was a version of the Isuzu Gemini sold here from '76-'79, according to Wikipedia.

[CEE DOG]

I read that the new Opel GT is basically the Saturn Sky except for the Opel badges...

Cool to see the Saturn Sky live on at least in other countries and what an honor to get the Opel GT name.

You got it Mike! Basically the same car. Some Sky owners switch the badges and put Opel on theirs. I didn't know the Opel got to stay though! Last I read a year ago it was going back and forth on whether they would continue production.

Picture: Redirect Notice

[Setec Astronomy]

I didn't know the Opel got to stay though! Cool! Last I read a year ago it was going back and forth on whether they would continue production.

Yeah, but remember GM was trying to sell Opel.

[CEE DOG]

Yeah, but remember GM was trying to sell Opel.

Penske almost bought Saturn but backed out last minute... Was looking at Renault supplying the vehicles under the new penske Saturn but it didn't work out.

The Opel was under the vauxhall umbrella right?