The new GT concept has been unveiled by Vauxhall-Opel ahead of its Geneva motor show debut in March this year.
Described as “a template for future sportscars”, the new two-seat coupé concept is broadly similar in mechanical layout and size to the Mazda MX-5 but has a fixed roof and ultra-modern, flowing lines. While the car doesn’t have any door handles or exterior mirrors, it does employ the classical long-bonnet, short-boot proportions used by classic rear-wheel-drive sportscars.
The concept is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, all-aluminium engine which produces 144bhp and 20.87kgm of torque in the GT’s turbocharged form. The engine drives the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox, which can also be controlled via the column-mounted shift paddles. Vauxhall-Opel claims a top speed of 215.65kph and a 0-100km time of less than eight seconds.
The GT Concept’s most striking features are the large doors, whose side windows integrate seamlessly into the body surface without the need for conventional sills. They are opened via roof-mounted touchpads in the red signature line which flows on either side, from the car’s red front tyres, along the tops of the front wings and over the roof onto the rear, enclosing a see-through roof. The large doors can be opened wide even in tight parking spaces due to space-saving hinges ingeniously mounted in the front wheel arches.
The concept also makes use of integrated headlight/indicator units that further develop the technology used for the new Astra’s glare-reducing IntelliLux matrix lighting. Cameras in the front arches transmit images to screens in the cabin, removing the need for exterior mirrors, improving the aerodynamics and helping to preserve the car’s ultra-clean profile.
Vauxhall-Opel design chief Mark Adams, who led the project, said the GT Concept unashamedly pays homage to two influential European concepts of the mid-1960s – the Vauxhall XVR and the Opel Experimental GT. The GT Concept also carries influences from Vauxhall-Opel’s Monza sporting estate, a 2+2 plug-in hybrid concept shown at the Frankfurt motor show in 2013.
The GT Concept’s red front tyres that are mounted on 'rollerskate wheels' are also a subtle reference to an iconic Opel motorcycle from the 1920s called the Motoclub 500, which had red tyres front and rear.
Vauxhall-Opel spokesmen say that they have “heard of no plan” to build a production GT, but said they will “judge reaction” to the car before deciding whether it has any future. At present, the company lacks a suitable front-engined, rear-drive platform on which to base a production GT.