Opel Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of The Elektro GT Setting Six World Records

Although the electric vehicle revolution might seem relatively recent, the truth is that the promise of electric mobility is far from novel. Take, for example, 1971’s Opel Elektro GT record-setter.

The car ended up setting six world records with Georg von Opel, grandson of the company’s founder Adam Opel, behind the wheel. The same year that the Apollo 15 took an electric buggy (aka Lunar Roving Vehicle) to the Moon, Georg von Opel set the following records.

The records came from a modified version of the sporty Opel GT. The two-seater was produced from 1968 until 1973 and was powered by a 1.1 or a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing 67 hp and 102 hp respectively.

The switch to electric propulsion actually helped the GT make more power. Opel fitted the car with two Bosch DC motors that produced 120 HP continuously but could provide a peak output of 160 hp.

Also Read: Opel Mourns The Loss Of Erhard Schnell, The Father Of The GT And Calibra

The production car’s major advantage, though, wasn’t its power but its weight. Weighing in at just 940 kg (2,072 lbs) with the larger engine and 845 kg [1,862 lbs] with the smaller engine, it was as light as it was handsome.

In order to power those motors for the longer records, Opel had to add 740 kg (1,631 lbs) worth of nickel-cadmium batteries. These were seated next to the driver and all in the total weight to 1,700 kg (3,747 lbs), or twice as much as the lightest version of the stock car. The extra weight meant that the Opel Elektro GT needed much harder springs.

To help move as efficiently as possible, meanwhile, Continental developed special high-pressure tires to reduce rolling resistance, while the bumpers, mirrors, door handles, and air intakes were all removed to make it more aerodynamic.

It all resulted in a quarter-mile time of 16.8 seconds. Though not remarkable by today’s standards, it wasn’t too bad by the standards of the day. Car and Driver clocked a 911T at 15.1 seconds in 1972.

There has been a lot of progress in the last 50 years, though. Even a fairly pedestrian Opel Corsa-e will hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.1 seconds The Elektro GT, meanwhile, took 19.358 seconds to get to 93 km/h (57.7 mph).