STRIKEMASTER

I always liked the Opal GT. Too bad they tend to suffer from 'Autogenic Carcinoma' (body rust). LOL. Dreamed of getting one and putting a 13-B rotary from a Mazda RX-7 in it. The 13-B is small enough to fit. Imagine an Opal GT with 180 HP and a red line of 9,000 RPM!! At one time, Racing Beat-Mazda in Anaheim could work up your 13-B engine to 225 HP and a 12,000 red line and still be street drivable.

GT6ixer

A very good family friend from back in Pittsburgh had a huge passion for the Opel GT. He would go all over the country looking for parts and meeting other fellow GT enthusiasts. He passed away a few years ago way too young from after a many year battle with crohn's disease. His name was Tom Cavataio and I think of him every time I see one of these cool little cars. Thanks for sharing. These pictures brought back some good memories.

James Bailey

For one of the car shows I visited an Opel junkyard in Riverside...Guy had 40 or so complete cars in his warehouse and a number of others in the outside yard. Plus stacks of shelving full of everything Opel. Was looking for a location to film and a car to buy. Interesting people and an odd niche market. Our executive producers just could not get their heads around Opels

Adk46

The average Hagerty price for a Bugeye was about $16K last I checked. Mine is probably worth about $13K; I paid $9500 and did the work required to make it a good driver, or "driver" - I expect to drive it about 300 miles per year. I feel safer on a motorcycle. The only big expense was having a new floor pan welded in. Paint-wise, it's a ten-footer.

My friend's yellow Opel GT was a multi-year effort: rotisserie repaint, contributions from a running, semi-donor car, rebuilt engine - the works. He took it to a big show in Saratoga Springs, casually agreed to paying an extra $5 to be judged, and came away with the Publisher's Choice award.

WallyP

My '58 Bugeye has been parked for several years - it is no longer fun whatsoever looking up at the tractor lug nuts whirling 18" from my head. Same with the Kawasaki - just too damn much traffic here now.

Adk46

That's a shame about your '58. Living in a one stoplight town has some advantages. Getting parts from Moss and Roger is not a problem. It's Sunday, so I must adjust the valves.

996SPECticle

The Ford truck likely has the biggest HP engine
I hear ya though, It is getting dumbed down to anything made before 1980 that has 2 doors is a muscle car.


Nice layout beside the Sprite, though I would have had to ask where others could hear " Do you need some help fixing your headlights?"