body count

[blauwmarc]

How many GT's are killed in accidents or died having the rustvirus? I've seen a lot of GT's going R.I.P. A german GT buddy of mine often does some surgery on GT bodies for parts and then they RIP. He is surely isn't the only one who trades in GT body parts. So the number of dead GT's is very high I think, in the past, today and in the future. How is it possible that there are still enough GT (donors) left? I wonder how many there are left, in good condition, or as rustbuckets. There are just over 100.000 build, and that allready is at least 34 years ago. Then I think, 100.000, is that a lot?

[yellaopelgt]

Me personally, I have put 4 gt's to that big road in the sky....and I can say that I know of at least 10 more scattered around the area that are ready to join them. So I know of at least 14. And, I could probly think of 2-3 more if I try hard enough!!
Joe

[spdkilz02]

i put 2 in the crusher...

[BQS4]

I have two in my back yard right now, and personally been at the wheel when 2 more have gone to RT 66 in the sky.... I know a friend that has 3 that are pretty much RIP

[newman27]

Originally Posted by blauwmarc How many GT's are killed in accidents or died having the rustvirus?

That is one sad picture...

Originally Posted by BQS4 I have two in my back yard right now, and personally been at the wheel when 2 more have gone to RT 66 in the sky...

Can you comment on what your experience was like being in an accident in a GT? The crash safety of this car has always been a concern of mine given the lack of "modern" protections (like air bags).

[blauwmarc]

Originally Posted by newman27 That is one sad picture...

Picture was taken back in '94 in Phoenix Arizona

[hallgeir]

Originally Posted by blauwmarc Then I think, 100.000, is that a lot?

If you put all the 103.463 GTs produced in a row, bumper to bumper, it would be 425.44 km long. That is 264.35 miles, right? Imagine, that is a few GTs.

[namba209]

Originally Posted by newman27 Can you comment on what your experience was like being in an accident in a GT? The crash safety of this car has always been a concern of mine given the lack of "modern" protections (like air bags).

My 71 GT was #5 in a 10 car on a freeway on ramp. I was stopped, but the cars behind didn't stop in time. I was pile driven into the car in front of me and watched as the front bumper came closer and closer to the windshield with each succeeding car that couldn't stop. After all the banging and crunching, I got out to see if I could be of any assistance to the other folks, had the car towed away, walked about a mile to my Mother's and called Margaret to come get me. I was able to get out of bed on the third day after the accident, backlash is not fun. Then we went to get Willit? Margaret found it in the classifieds while I was recuperating.

[DarrenGreen]

Originally Posted by newman27 That is one sad picture... Can you comment on what your experience was like being in an accident in a GT? The crash safety of this car has always been a concern of mine given the lack of "modern" protections (like air bags).

Not in a Opel but back in the late 80's I rallied a slightly modified MGB GT in Europe, the biggest modification being the roll cage my brother and I made.

Fire and safety said that after the second roll they already thought I was a goner, that by the time it came to a stop on the remains of the roof after the fourth roll they thought for sure they would be calling the undertaker!

We did so well on the roll cage that the only assistance I needed to get out of the car was to have my harness cut. Two broken fingers, a hell of a lot of bruises and a few scrapes is all I took!

That's why my current Opel GT will have a custom cage installed as soon as I get the body blasted down and repaired!

The best advice I can offer is if you are going to crash, do it on a race track, at least that way all the rescue crew is already on standby!!

[BQS4]

Newman;
I can tell you honestly, that your fears can be put to rest about the safety of these cars. I don't want to steal this thread, but, suffice to say that just the accidents in my family, driving Opels, had they been any othe type of car, some of my family my not be here today.

Originally Posted by newman27 That is one sad picture... Can you comment on what your experience was like being in an accident in a GT? The crash safety of this car has always been a concern of mine given the lack of "modern" protections (like air bags).

[newman27]

Originally Posted by namba209 My 71 GT was #5 in a 10 car on a freeway on ramp. I was stopped, but the cars behind didn't stop in time.

Originally Posted by DarrenGreen Fire and safety said that after the second roll they already thought I was a goner, that by the time it came to a stop on the remains of the roof after the forth roll they thought for sure they would be calling the undertaker!

Originally Posted by BQS4 sufice to say that just the accidents in my family, driving Opels, had they been any othe type of car, some of my family my not be here today.

Glad all of you made it through OK and that does put my mind at ease. Well, accidents contribute to the Opel "body count" so hopefully I didn't take things too far off track...

[GTJIM]

GTs were required to meet the frontal crash tests of the time - in 1973 they were upgraded to side intrusion tests too.
The initial German tests were not completed till October, 1968 - which may be another reason very few 1968 GTs ever made it on to the roads.
Here are some original factory crash test pics - thanks to OpelGTWorld.de !
Note how the passenger compartment has retained its integrity.

[BQS4]

If there was a thread started detailing accidents about/in Opels, I could tell a few the would send a chill or two up your spine, but, these are tough little cars, and not just the GTs


Gary:
Would it be in good taste to have such a thread? Just wondering.
Gene

[azopelnut]

Circa 1976
My college roommate slid off an icy Wisconsin back road and hit a large oak tree dead on at 55mph and walked away. Notice the windshield didn't even crack. I wish I would have been smart enough to pay the $600 salvage fee and piece a front clip on this 30,000 mile car.

[oppositelock]

I think I found where all the old Opel GTs get put out to pasture, at least in southern Oregon. I just saw an ad on Craigslist, some guy in Ashland Oregon is selling a bunch of GTs and parts. This is not even remotely everything he's got in the pictures below. Looks like an Opel GT wrecking yard!
Here's the URL for his Opel picture gallery: GreenSprings Photo Galleries :: Opel

Here's the URL for the page listing the cars and parts he has for sale: sale item
Scroll down past the Pontiac seats.

[Paul]

This guy has an add in the classified section. I've tried to buy stuff from him but he has been non-responsive......... I guess someone needs to buy the whole lot from him

[hallgeir]

Same here. E-mailed him twice, but no response. Well, I`ve got what I needed from elsewhere, so it doesn`t matter.

[blauwmarc]

Originally Posted by oppositelock I think I found where all the old Opel GTs get put out to pasture, at least in southern Oregon.

Unbelievable, GT heaven for us, but hell for the GT itself.

[66kadett]

Any GT going to the car muncher is cause for sadness. Due to the relative scarcity...100,000 units is 6 months production of a popular midsize car...any loss of a GT is like seeing a cretin destroy art. Figure that a GT with collector/enthusiast appeal may have an above-average survival rate, and you're probably looking at somewhere between 10 and 20,000 left; half of those are drivable/restorable.

Re safety and security in Opels versus modern cars, NO WORRIES!!! I was in a colossal collision that took the nose off a '73 Manta. I walked away without a mark on me, after T-boning a Datsun 310 at 40. The Datsun bent around like a fortune cookie.

Opels were subject to more stringent TUV (The German equivalent to our NHTSA and DOT) crashworthiness approval compared to their 70's counterparts from the US and Japan, and pioneered such features as crumple zones, safety capsules, collapsible steering columns, and drop-away engines long before such features were required in the US. They were required to compete with Volvo, MB, and SAAB in a safety-conscious environment.