1973 Opel GT Joins DFW Car & Toy Museum Collection as Rare Automotive Hybrid

The DFW Car & Toy Museum has added a distinctive 1973 Opel GT in vivid orange to its exhibition, representing a significant addition to The Ron Sturgeon Collection. This vehicle marks the final year of first-generation production for a model that has maintained cult status among automotive enthusiasts for its unique blend of European styling and American-inspired performance characteristics.

Originally introduced as a concept car at both the 1965 Paris and Frankfurt Motor Shows, the Opel GT entered production in 1968 and quickly earned the nickname "Baby Corvette" for its striking resemblance to Chevrolet's iconic sports car. The collaboration between German manufacturer Opel and French coachbuilder Brissonneau & Lotz resulted in a vehicle that combined sharp, futuristic design with practical mechanical components from the Opel Kadett B platform.

The 1973 model on display features the optional 1.9-liter camshaft-in-head engine, which delivers 102 horsepower and represents the powertrain preferred by most enthusiasts. The vehicle's front mid-engine placement and transverse leaf-spring front suspension, a feature shared with the Corvette, contribute to its balanced weight distribution and responsive handling characteristics that made it popular among driving purists.

Several distinctive design elements set the Opel GT apart from contemporary sports cars. The manually-operated pop-up headlights rotate in unison when activated, while the hidden trunk space can only be accessed from inside the cabin. These quirky features, combined with the car's compact dimensions and rear-wheel-drive layout, create what owner Ron Sturgeon describes as "one of those rare cars that packs an incredible amount of character into a compact, driver-focused package."

The short production run from 1968 to 1973, followed by a 34-year gap before the introduction of a successor model in 2007, has made well-preserved examples increasingly rare and valuable. The vehicle's status as a Euro-American hybrid reflects broader trends in automotive globalization during the late 20th century, when manufacturers increasingly collaborated across national boundaries to create vehicles that combined design and engineering strengths from different traditions.

The museum's acquisition of this final-year model provides automotive historians and enthusiasts with an opportunity to examine a vehicle that represents both the culmination of the original GT design and the end of an era in sports car manufacturing. Visitors can view the Opel GT at the museum's North Fort Worth location, which occupies 150,000 square feet at 2550 McMillan Parkway. Additional information about current exhibits and visiting hours is available at https://dfwcarandtoymuseum.com.