FRANKFURT: The Opel GT Concept is an exercise in looking backwards to go forward but that doesn't mean the show car, set to make its debut in Geneva on March 1, is in any way retro.
It is a statement of genuine confidence and of optimism from a marque that's on the rise in Europe whether as Opel or Vauxhall and as various GM-badged models in the US.
"We created the GT Concept to capture the bold, emotional spirit of both the Vauxhall and Opel brands," said Mark Adams, Vice President of Opel and Vauxhall Design Europe. "It is dramatic, sculptural and full of innovations, which is our great tradition that we intend to continue."
Buick is credited with inventing the concept of the concept car, back in 1938, and it's hard to believe that it took a further 24 years before a European manufacturer followed suit. Part of the GT Concept's job is to remind everyone that that company was Vauxhall Opel and that its first concepts were about lightweight performance.
"In the mid-Sixties, Vauxhall and Opel created their own interpretations of a light-weight sports car -- the XVR and the Experimental GT -- both of which were thoroughly modern with dynamic sculptural forms," said Adams.
The Experimental GT became a production car, the Opel GT, and was as radical as it was popular, ditching fripperies in search of driver entertainment and the new GT Concept follows a similar formula.
With rear-wheel drive and a compact turbocharged engine mounted up front, but behind the front axle for better weight distribution, it promises to be a real driver's car. "[It is] absolutely pure, minimalistic, yet bold and uncompromising," explains Adams.
The engine only has three cylinders and 145PS on tap, but the car weighs less than 1000kg, so it goes from 0-100km/h in under 8 seconds and onto a top speed of 134mph.
But as well as handling, the car is not short on style. The panoramic roof offers a sense of open-top motoring, whatever the weather and things such as door handles and wing mirrors have been omitted in order to keep the car's lines as strong and uninterrupted as possible.
Perhaps the most impressive visual touch is a treatment on the side glass that makes the doors appear as solid objects that run right up to the roof.
But best of all, this car clearly points to a possible production model in the future. The marque has been missing a sports coupé in its lineup for far too long, and the GT Concept is clearly testing the market.
