GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Opel GT just "a dream"

The chances of a born-again Opel GT reaching production — let alone being sold locally as a compact rear-wheel drive Holden coupe — appear slim.

That's our take on the sleek new Opel GT concept, which was designed in Germany but built by Holden in Port Melbourne, after speaking with Opel chief Karl-Thomas Neumann at the Geneva motor show.

"Car-makers we're selling dreams and this car is a dream, so we hope it comes true like the old GT, that's all I can say about it," Neumann said after unveiling the futuristic coupe.

"It's perfectly possible to build it, but as we also know you also need some kind of a business case. It's difficult in this [affordable sports car] segment, but it's also an investment in the brand, so let's see what the decision is."

Earlier, Neumann told the Geneva crowd point blank: "Before I get the question, the answer is no, we have not decided to produce the new Opel GT.

"But we are extremely excited by the reaction we've received from media and the public. It shows who we are – confident."

The GT draws its inspiration from its 1960s namesake. Officially, Opel describes the new GT show car as "a forward looking statement about how Opel sees the sports car".

Neumann said any potential production version “must be real-wheel drive".

"We want a real GT," he commented.

However, GM currently has no compact rear-drive platform on which to base a reincarnated GT, and developing one for a budget-priced sports car that would compete for limited sales in a segment alongside the Toyota 86 may not be financially viable.

"Volume and price. They are the two factors we have to deal with," said Neumann.

Asked whether Opel would consider sharing developing costs with another car-maker to make the new GT a reality, in the same way the 86 and Subaru BRZ and the Mazda MX-5 and Fiat 124 Spider are almost identical, Neumann said: "We did that before".

Opel chief designer Mark Adams said the GT was "unmistakably an Opel GT".

"I didn't want this car to be retro, it needed to be avant-garde, like the 1960s original."

Clearly, the pint-size two-seat rear-drive coupe would need to change dramatically before it appeared in showrooms. The car’s futuristic but minimalist interior is accessed by a touchpad and its cantilevered doors have no handles, mirrors or even opening windows.

Its downsized powertrain appears more realistic, however. Opel says the GT’s front/mid-mounted 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol triple delivers 107kW/245Nm but is claimed to accelerate the sub-1000kg coupe to 100km/h in less than eight seconds.

"Even a three-cylinder engine can create goose bumps," says Opel of the GT.

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