Teasing us with a sleek sports coupe only to announce, shortly after showing it, you’re not going to build it: not exactly fair now, is it?
Well, that’s what most studies are for: wetting our appetite and boosting the brand’s image. And the GT Concept, Opel’s main attraction at this year’s Geneva show, fits the bill to a tee.
“This is one of the most exciting concept cars I have seen in my entire life. Pure passion! It shows who we are: confident, bold and innovative”, said company CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann during the concept’s launch.
Granted, he’d say that, wouldn’t he, but in fact the GT concept would make for a nice halo car that’s currently missing from Opel’s range. Especially if they want to be “bold and innovative”.
The overly futuristic design would have to be watered down, of course, and one doesn’t have to be a psychic to know that those mirror-replacing cameras and button-less cabin would never make it. Still, if Lexus could do it, why should GM not follow its paradigm?
Don’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover, though, for the GT Concept belongs to a different segment. With a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine pumping out just 145 hp and 205 Nm of torque, it’s way lower down the food chain.
No one ever said that you need huge power to have fun, though. Just send it to the rear axle with mechanical differential lock, keep the weight below 1,000 kg and, just as the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GT86 have demonstrated, you have the right recipe, and never mind the 8-second naught to 100 km/h time or (for purists) the manual gearbox having been replaced by a sequential six-speeder.
The aforementioned Japanese brand supposedly decided to build its coupe after being delighted with public reaction. What chances visitors of the 86th Geneva Auto Show do the same to Opel?
Photos: Carscoops.com/Brad Anderson & GM
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